


Magic Bleeds

by joshuaorrizonte



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 41,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25097473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshuaorrizonte/pseuds/joshuaorrizonte
Summary: Five years after the apprentice mysteriously disappears, so does an entire village just outside of Vesuvia. Asra is sent to investigate, and he finds more than just the missing villagers...
Relationships: Apprentice/Asra (The Arcana)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

Asra flinched at the thunder, cuddling closer to Thomas. Normally he loved thunderstorms, but not this one. The wind howled in the street, threatening to knock trees and street lamps over. The thunder didn’t sound like thunder; there was a sharp quality to it, like the sound of wood breaking. And the air itself was unpleasantly charged. He could feel the magic in it, barreling through Vesuvia, ripping into anything in its path.

Thomas tightened his hold on Asra, bemused. “What’s wrong?”

“The storm.”

“You love thunderstorms.”

“If this is a natural thunderstorm, I’ll eat Faust’s food for a week. Can’t you feel the magic in the air?”

Thomas nodded, and it seemed like a facade fell away. “You feel it too? I thought it was just me.”

“It’s not. Someone is attacking Vesuvia.” Asra closed his eyes, jumping at another violent crack of thunder. “But who in the world has the magic to be able to summon a storm of this caliber? And to what end?”

Thomas was quiet for a moment. “Should we try to get to Nadia? Warn her?”

Asra shook his head. “No, whoever it is has got to be running out of steam by now. And I don’t trust that wind not to blow debris into us if we venture outside.”

As if on cue, something crashed into the shop, eliciting a little cry from Thomas as he buried his face in Asra’s shoulder. “You’re right, we need to wait this out.”

Faust peeked out from the cuddle pile, her attention firmly on Thomas. _Friend okay?_

“Yeah, I’m- I’m a little freaked out by what's happening, but I’ll be alr-“

Asra’s head jerked up as Thomas abruptly stiffened in his arms. “Tommy?” he prompted, confused. Then, seeing that Thomas’s eyes had gone blank, panic began to set in. “Tommy?!”

“I... have to go,” Thomas whispered, his voice strained. 

“Tommy? What’s-“

“There’s something I need to take care of.” Stiffly, as though he was being manipulated by an outside force, Thomas disentangled himself from Asra and stood, heading for the door. 

Asra scrambled to his feet, grabbing hold of Thomas’s wrist. Thomas stopped, but didn’t look back. “That storm will kill you if you go out in it!” he exclaimed. 

“Don’t follow me.”

With that, Thomas yanked his arm free, and went to the door, exiting into the howling wind without looking back or closing the door behind him. Asra scrambled to follow, screaming Thomas’s name as rain lashed him just outside the door of the shop. He heard Faust’s confused, terrified questions, and shut her out, focusing all of his attention on keeping Thomas in his sight. The moment Asra stepped out of the shop, the wind buffeted him, nearly forcing him back inside. 

"Thomas!” Asra cried into the storm, lurching out into the street. An icy gust blew into him again, sending a violent shiver through him. He forced himself to keep his eyes open and focused on Thomas’s retreating form. He was already a block away, moving as though the storm was nothing but a pleasant summer shower. Asra screamed his name against the wind, fighting for every step.

A frantic sob tore through him as Thomas turned a corner, and Asra was still half way down the block. He broke into a run, ignoring the icy rain lashing against him. He didn’t understand what was happening, he just knew he had to reach Thomas before- before what? All Asra knew was that something terrible was happening. He felt it in every fiber of his being.

Asra turned the corner, gasping for breath, and let out a little cry of fear and frustration. Thomas was nowhere to be seen. Frantically, Asra reached down inside of himself, seeking out the tie that connected their hearts. He felt Thomas’s presence at the edge of his consciousness and started moving again, following it.

Their connection brought him to the docks, and stopped. Asra ran to the edge of one of them, calling out Thomas’s name, sobbing hysterically now.

Then, suddenly, the horrible wind stopped, the rain slowing to a soft patter, then stopping altogether. Asra watched in amazement as the night sky cleared, revealing a brightly shining moon and stars.

And Asra could no longer feel Thomas’s presence.

Asra sank to his knees and bowed over, covering his head with his hands as he cried.

* * *

_Five years later..._

The beast slowed to a stop at the outskirts of the village. _I sense no one,_ it said into Asra’s mind.

“Yes,” Asra replied softly, sliding off the beast’s back. “There’s no one here. But why? Why would they abandon the village?”

They first heard that the village had been abandoned from a wandering trader. She had come upon it in the course of her normal circuit of Vesuvia’s satellite villages, and came right to Vesuvia to report it to Nadia. 

After Thomas’s disappearance, running the shop quickly became too painful for Asra, and Nadia invited him to become her court magician full-time. He resisted her invitation at first- what if Thomas came back?- but Nadia promised to have the shop cared for as a state property until that happened and they were ready to reopen. And Nadia reassured him that Thomas _would_ come back. But in the meantime, he was hurting himself by being there.

He quickly became her right hand, and thus, when she got the report that this village had been abandoned, she sent him to investigate. His slow footsteps crunched on the gravel on the main thoroughfare into the village, and at first, he wasn’t sure what there was to investigate. He was a magician, not a detective. 

But Nadia’s intuition had told her to send her magician, not her consul, and so Asra went, and so Asra would do his best to get to the bottom of this. He knelt in the center of the town square, extending his magical senses out through the empty village.

And stopped, frowning. Something was definitely wrong here. He felt magic, permeating through everything. It felt like- 

His breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t believe it. “Thomas?” he whispered, almost fearfully. 

After a second more of probing, he shook his head. No, it wasn’t Thomas, just painfully like him. He stood, wiping his hands on his pants and peering around the village. “Something terrible happened here,” he murmured. “Faust?”

Faust poked her head out of his shirt. _Friend here!_ she exclaimed.

“I don’t think it’s him, but it definitely feels like him, doesn’t it?” He looked around again, and his attention was caught by the sight of a house with the door ajar. “Well, time to get investigating,” he said, heading for that house.

Despite knowing for certain that there was no one there, Asra rapped his knuckles on the open door as he pushed it open. “Hello? Anyone here?”

Silence greeted him, as he expected. He creeped into the house, eyes darting around. The front door opened up into a modest kitchen, with a sturdy wooden table in the center of it. A child’s ball sat across the room, in the space between the kitchen and living room.

But it was the open book on the table that caught Asra’s attention. A pen laid across it, as if dropped suddenly. Asra went to the table and turned the book towards him, reading the open page.

_-has finally come home. He says that there’s still something he needs to do, that his task isn’t complete yet, but once it is, the village will be a paradise. I’m not so sure about this. I trust him, but I don’t trust magic, and the village is pretty great already, if you ask me. I just don’t-_

The writing cut off abruptly there, and Asra frowned. That probably meant that whatever happened, it happened suddenly. But what happened?

Asra was sure he wasn’t going to find the answer in this house. He went back out, his mind turning. Who was the magician that villager was writing about? What was he planning that would turn the village into a paradise? And what in the world was happening that he felt Thomas’s magic in this place?

He went back out to the village square, and closed his eyes, reaching out with his magic again, searching for Thomas’s presence. He grabbed a hold of one of the tendrils of magic, following it down, into the realms of magic...

He fell into the water with a splash, startled and spooked. He nearly panicked as the water closed over his head, holding his breath before he realized that he was probably in the magical realms. He didn’t need to breathe. A second later confirmed that, and he kicked up, swiming for the surface of the water.

He broke the surface with a gasp, next to a fishing board with two _very_ startled fishermen. "Oi!" one of them called, reaching out to him. "Come on, then!"

Gratefully, Asra took hold of his hand and let him and his partner haul him aboard the boat. It rocked precariously for a moment as Asra slumped in the bottom of it, shivering. "There now, you're safe," the other man said soothingly, although his confusion was evident on his face. "But where did you come from? Who are you?"

Asra sat up, glancing around. It looked like they were out on a bay, a pile of glittering fish in the opposite end of the boat. "My name is Asra," he answered, getting his bearings. "I'm- where am I?"

The men looked at each other. "We're actually not sure where we are," the first one said, "Although we've been here, what? A week? Two?" 

“Two sounds about right. Time is kind of funny here.”

“So we are in the magical realms,” Asra murmured. 

The two fishermen stared at him in awe. “Is that where we are? How’d we get here?”

“That’s actually why I’m here. Are you from Absecon village?”

“We are. How-“

“A traveling merchant came to Vesuvia to tell Countess Nadia that the village had been abandoned. I’m the person the Countess sent to investigate.”

Simultaneously, one’s expression brightened while the other’s fell. “Did you hear that, Ezra? Good ol’ Kary! I knew help would come eventually!”

“Slow your roll. He’s _here._ What makes you think he’s not as trapped as we are?”

“I’m a magician,” Asra said soothingly, “with extensive experience in the magical realms. Is the entire village here?”

“Yups.”

“Good. Now that I know you’re here, it should be a simple matter of figuring out where ‘here’ is and opening a portal so you can get out. That will take me some time, though, so I will go back to the physical plane, report my findings to the Countess, and do the research I need to do. I promise you, I’ll get you out of here soon. I just need you to be patient.”

The one called Ezra nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Magician Asra. We’ll bring word of our impending rescue back to the village, and gods bless you for it. Morale has been in a freefall since we realized we were trapped.”

“I can imagine. I’ll be back as quickly as possible.” Asra closed his eyes, focusing on his physical body, following his ties to it. He felt himself returning to his body, felt the warm breeze of the wind-

-and with an unpleasant _snap,_ he was back in the fishing boat. He doubled over with a gasp, and the cheerful fisherman put his hand on Asra’s back. “Whoa there. You alright?”

“Yes, I- I was more startled than anything, but-“ What exactly had happened hit him, almost knocking the breath out of him. “I can’t leave...”

The fishermen were quiet. Finally, Ezra said, “I had a hunch. Let’s go back to the village and start from the beginning. Maybe all isn’t lost.”

“There’s a problem, though.”

“What is it?”

“I’m projecting my spirit into the realms,” Asra explained. “My body is still back in the village- with no one protecting it. And if I don’t return in a reasonable amount of time, I’ll dehydrate or starve to death.”

“You’re awfully calm for someone in mortal danger.”

“Getting upset about it isn’t going to change it.” Asra shrugged. “I’m- I’m not alone. I’m just not sure how long it’ll take for help to reach me.”

They looked at each other curiously. “I thought you said no one was with you,” the cheerful one said. 

“My familiar is with me. She’s probably already summoned help, but Absecon is a day away from Vesuvia. A lot could happen in a day.”

"This is true,” Ezra said. “We better get you to the village quickly then. The sooner you can figure out how to get back to your body, the better. We’ll tell you what we know and figure things out from there.”

“Sounds like a plan. Let’s go.”


	2. Chapter 2

Nadia rode in silence, her thoughts in turmoil. Aisha and Salim had burst into her parlor a day ago, frantically telling her that Asra was in danger. She managed to get out of them that Asra’s familiar had contacted theirs, telling them that Asra had collapsed and was stuck in the magical realms. Shortly after, as she was planning a rescue party, Asra’s big friend Muriel had shown up at the palace gates, having been told much the same thing by his own familiar.

And so, she left Consul Valerius in charge and led Aisha, Salim, Muriel, and Julian out to the village. If Asra was stuck in the magical realms, then this was more than just a village being abandoned. Something sinister was afoot.

They traveled through the night, mostly silent. Julian talked to her every once in a while, but his words were terse. “You sound worried,” she said, at one point.

“Of course I’m worried.” He swallowed hard. “I- I don’t want to lose him like we lost Thomas.”

That hit her hard. She flinched in the darkness, her mind going to what she would do if Asra disappeared as his lover had. But she spoke to reassure him. “Aisha, Salim, and Muriel are all certain Asra’s body is still with us. He hasn't disappeared like Thomas did. He _won't_ disappear like Thomas did. We just need to get to him and keep his body safe until he can get back to us."

"What if something's already happened to his body?"

"We will cross that bridge when we get to it." She reached across the distance between their horses and squeezed his arm. "All will be well, Julian. I promise you that. We aren't too late, and Asra knows how to navigate the magical realms. We simply have to believe in him."

He swallowed hard. "You're right. He's capable. I'm sure he wasn't expecting to be trapped in the magical realms when he left, though."

She made a thoughtful noise. "I knew some sort of disaster must have precipitated the townspeople leaving, but if that disaster was magical... But _what_? I do wish Asra could communicate with us."

"Maybe he'll be able to, through Faust. He has such a strong connection to her."

"Perhaps. We will see."

As they spoke, they came to the village. A great beast rested by the side of the road, piquing Nadia's interests and making Julian guide his horse away from it. 

Aisha and Salim seemed to know what it was. "Look, it's our friend," Aisha said, dismounting and going over to it. Salim followed closely behind, and together they knelt next to it, putting their hands on its shaggy fur. "Are you awake?" Aisha asked softly.

Nadia almost startled as a voice resounded in her head. _I am now. Aisha. Salim. I couldn't help Asra._

Aisha and Salim looked at each other. "Do you know what happened?" Salim asked.

 _Powerful magic took hold of him. I do not know its origin, nor where it took him, but_...

Nadia dismounted and approached cautiously. "But?" she prompted gently. 

_But it feels like Thomas did it._

The words sent a shock through the party. “If Thomas did it,” Julian said hopefully, “maybe Asra isn’t in danger after all.”

“No,” Muriel said, the first time he’d spoken since they left the palace. “Inanna was clear- Asra can’t leave the magical realms.”

I _t only felt like Thomas,_ the beast added. _Thomas wouldn’t take him anywhere against his will._

“This is absolutely true,” Nadia said firmly. “You have kept watch over him?”

_I haven’t gone into the village- but neither has anything else. He should be where he collapsed._

“Well,” Julian said, dismounting and guiding his horse into the village, “let’s go get him.”

The others followed him, and in only a minute of walking, they saw Asra, lying on the gravel of the town square. They left the horses on the street and ran to him. Julian got there first, gathering him up in his arms and looking around. He saw a house with its door ajar; “Can we take him in there?” he asked, jerking his head to the house.

“It’s as good a place as any,” Nadia said. “We have to get him out of the elements. Can you carry him, Julian?”

“I think I can,” he answered, huddling Asra close to him and standing with ease. He muttered something about Asra being too light, and headed for the open door, the rest of the party behind him.

Nadia’s gaze swept the kitchen, her eyes falling on the open journal on the table. “Put him on the couch in the living room,” she ordered, going to the journal. Julian obeyed, as Aisha and Salim following closely behind. Muriel read over her shoulder as she flipped back a page. “Someone named Alain returned here just before the disappearance, it looks like,” Nadia said. “Do you think Asra saw this?”

“I don’t know. He may have, if the door was already open. He wouldn’t have broken in.” Muriel reached for the journal, flipping back several pages. "Whatever happened here, happened suddenly. And judging from Asra's condition, magic was involved. I don't like this."

"I don't, either." She looked up at him. "Do you have much knowledge of the magical realms?"

Muriel shook his head. "I've never- that was Asra's thing. I stood watch over his body when he went but I never ventured into the magical realms myself. I never felt the need to."

Nadia sighed heavily. "He needs us to stand over him now, I think. I hope he's alright, wherever he is." She looked away. "What of the beast's claim that it felt like this is Thomas's doing?" 

"I can... I think I'm familiar enough with him to be able to tell if it was him." Muriel closed his eyes, and Nadia felt his magic as a warm presence, earthy and comforting. He frowned sharply at a moment. "That... that does feel like Thomas, but... it's _wrong_."

She was quiet for a moment after he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Wrong how? Can you describe it?"

"Like... like corruption. It's... It's hard to describe." Muriel's gaze flicked over to the living room, where Julian knelt at the couch's side, two fingers pressed to Asra's throat beneath his jaw. "If he felt that, he may have rushed to the magical realms without thinking."

Nadia looked at Asra as well, brows knitting together in consternation. "I would like to think that he would think things through before acting- especially if, as you say, the magic involved feels off."

Muriel looked down at her, a glint in his eyes. "Perhaps... this village's abandonment has something to do with Thomas's disappearance."

"Now that's something I hadn't considered." She thought about it a bit more. "I think I will ask Aisha and Salim if they think it's a good idea for us to investigate the realms. But we need to be careful. We cannot help Asra if we end up trapped with him."

"No, we can't. I don't think we should do anything magical. Not until we understand what happened to Asra."

"Then I shall set Salim and Aisha to investigating that." 

She moved to the living room, just as Julian pulled away from Asra and stood. "He's alright, for now," Julian said. "We need to get him water somehow, keep him hydrated."

Nadia looked to his parents. "You wouldn't happen to have a solution to this, would you?" she asked them.

Salim nodded. "As a matter of fact- we can sustain him magically, for a few days at least. It isn't a permanent solution- we still need to get him back sooner rather than later- but for now, we can handle it."

"Muriel says we shouldn't do anything magical until we know what happened to Asra."

"This shouldn't put us in any danger," Aisha said. "I agree with him that we probably shouldn't try to access the magical realms- not unless we leave the village, maybe travel an hour or two away- but making sure he won't starve or dehydrate to death should be relatively safe."

Nadia nodded. "Only one of you do that. I want the other of you to try to figure out how Asra ended up in this position in the first place. I think discovering the circumstances of Asra's entrapment is key to rescuing him. There is also something else you should be aware of. I asked Muriel if he could figure out why the beast that accompanied Asra here said that it felt like Thomas was behind this. He can detect Thomas's magic, but he says it is corrupted somehow, and that perhaps the village's abandonment and Thomas's disappearance are somehow connected."

Aisha and Salim glanced at each other. "I can sustain Asra," Salim said. "You were more familiar with Thomas."

Aisha nodded. "Then I will take a trip out a little way to see if I can safely access the realms. If Thomas is responsible for this in any way, I’ll find out.”

“Your orders for me, Countess?” Julian prompted.

“Stay here with us and monitor Asra’s condition,” she said evenly. “We will let Salim handle Asra as he sees fit, for now, but you need to be ready to take over his care with more mundane means, should it become necessary.”

“Agreed.” Julian looked around the living room. “If it becomes necessary, I can probably get him just enough sustenance with a mixture of water and honey. Water isn’t a problem. But we didn’t bring any honey.”

“If things become so dire, I’m certain the villagers wouldn’t begrudge us any honey they may have, but we must take only what we absolutely need.”

“Understood.”

“Good. Everyone, see to your tasks. I will read that journal, see what I can discover of this Alain that’s written in the journal.”

Nadia’s companions scattered to conduct their duties, and Nadia went back to the kitchen, had a seat at the table, and turned the journal to the first page. With a whispered apology to the owner for the invasion of privacy, she began to read.


	3. Chapter 3

Asra had to admit, this was a beautiful realm. The sky was deepening to a beautiful midnight blue, bright pink and purple stars glittering in the sky. The villagers greeted him with open, if confused, arms. Ezra called for quiet and when the crowd settled down, he introduced Asra.

An older woman approached them, keenness in her eyes. “So the Countess sent you to find out what happened to us, and you were pulled into the same trap we were,” she said, her voice critical but not unkind. “I’m afraid we must wait for someone to rescue the rescuer, now.”

“You seem sure I won’t be able to free everyone,” he replied, his voice cautious. “Why is that?”

“Did you not think we had a local magician who’s been working at this problem?”

“Well, two heads are better than one. Who is your magician? Perhaps we can coordin-“

“Me.” The woman extended a hand. “Name’s Briarwood, but most people call me Briar. And I assure you, there’s no way out from this side.”

Asra took her hand, shaking it firmly. “It’s not that I don’t believe you capable,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “but everything I know of magic says there has to be a way out from this side. Maybe the two of us together will be more fortunate.”

Briar nodded, and jerked her head into the village, an almost exact copy of the physical one. “Perhaps,” she admitted. “Let’s go to my place. We can get you fed, and I can explain what I know.”

Asra followed her. “Thank you for your hospitality, but my body is still in the physical world. I don’t need to eat.”

She looked back at him, surprised. “Is that so? Maybe we _will_ be more fortunate, if you’re already half-way to freedom. Is someone watching your body?”

Asra shook his head. “My familiar, and a magical being I’m friends with. I have no doubt my familiar has summoned help by now, but I don’t know if they’ve arrived yet or not.”

Briar shuddered as they came to a small house and entered. “May help arrive quickly. There’s little that’s threatening near Absecon, but you won’t last long if they don’t tend to your body.”

“They’ll reach me in time,” Asra replied confidently, looking around as Briar stoked a roaring blue fire in the stove. 

“Is it always that intense?” he asked in fascination. 

“It’s a side effect of the realm, I think,” Briar answered. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?”

Asra nodded. “I can’t take your supplies when I don’t need them.”

“Oh, that isn’t a concern. Alain made sure we have everything we could ever want.”

Asra didn’t miss the bitter note in her voice. “Alain?”

She sighed. “Yes, I’ll explain. Just let me make us supper- no argument. We have enough and I can’t eat in front of someone with no food.”

”Yes ma’am.” Asra knew better than to press his luck. These people had been amazingly welcoming so far; he didn’t want to risk getting on their bad side.

An hour later, Asra and Briar were eating a fish dinner unlike anything he’d ever had before. “This is delicious,” he told her, happy that she’d pushed the issue.

“Thank you,” she replied with a smile. “It’s an old family recipe- and I’m sure the magic fish helps.”

Asra chuckled, taking another mouthful and chewing, thinking about how he wanted to approach the subject of their imprisonment. “So this Alain,” he said as he swallowed. “Can you tell me about him?”

Briar made a face. “Alain is- was- my apprentice. He left the village five years ago, just telling me there was something he wanted to do, and that it shouldn’t take long. The night he left, there was a horrific storm that damn well near destroyed the village, and killed one of the mayor’s children. It was a horrible, horrible mess, and I just assumed he’d been killed in it too, when he didn’t come back.”

Asra’s eyes had gone wide. “This was five years ago? I remember that storm painfully well. My lover, a fellow magician- he left that night. Just vanished. I- I tried to follow him, but there was no sign of him.”

Briar gave him an odd look. “That’s- that’s interesting. What was your lover’s name?”

“Thomas.”

Briar dropped her fork. "That's..."

Her voice trailed off as she stared at him in what he could only assume was muted horror. "Do you know something about this?" Asra asked, hope blossoming in his chest.

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Alain returned to us two weeks ago, telling us that we can help him accomplish what he had gone to the magical realms to do. He told me that a man named Thomas was actively interfering with his attempts to stabilize this realm, that he needed help to defeat him. Then he brought us all here, and left us here."

"That- that doesn't make any sense. Thomas wouldn't interfere with an attempt to stabilize a realm- what realm _is_ this?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me, said that the less I knew about what was going on, the better."

"Well that's a red flag."

"I know. Boy, do I know. But the villagers all trust Alain. When I tried to tell them that something wasn't right, no one but Ezra listened to me." She gave an exasperated scoff. "You live with people all your live and in the end, they think you've gone soft in your old age."

Asra closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Alright. First things first- we need to figure out what realm this is. Do you know where Alain is?"

"I do. He's quite a distance from here, but I've been keeping track of his movements. He's clashed with someone- Thomas, I assume- several times since we came here. We can track Alain down tomorrow.”

“You believe me when I say that Thomas wouldn’t do something like this?”

“I believe you. Something has been off about Alain since I took him in, and I don’t think that he brought us here was out of the goodness of his heart. It is lovely here, we have everything we need, but it is a prison. I’m not sure why everyone else can’t see that.”

Asra looked down at his hands, thinking. “I know a lot about the magical realms and how they work,” he said haltingly. "You can call it a specialty, if you like. It's possible that he brought you here as a source of power."

"A source of power?"

He looked up. "Yes. I- How much do you know of the Arcana?"

"Only that they exist, and they're immensely powerful."

Asra made a thoughtful noise. "I've faced the Devil. I had to bind him to his own realm- oh, ten years ago or so. In the course of doing that, I learned that the Arcana are more powerful, the more people are under their sway."

Briar laughed. "Alain definitely isn't an Arcana."

"No, but he can challenge them. Try to become them."

That seemed to get Briar's attention. "Alain was quite ambitious, to be honest. I don't know where he'd have learned that he could become an Arcana, but if he _did_ find that out..."

"Which means that we should probably figure out where we are before we face him. What realm we're in."

"Well, you're the specialist. How would we go about doing that?"

"I don't know," Asra replied, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "I can tell you that I've never been to this realm before, but that doesn't narrow it down a whole lot. I've been to the Magician's realm, the Devil's..." His voice trailed off.

"Yes?" Briar prompted. "What about the Devil's realm?"

"It's.... a long shot. But Thomas and I bound the Devil to his realm a decade ago, as I mentioned before. If Alain somehow figured out that there was a power vacuum in the Devil's realm, he might have come here looking to replace him."

Briar smoothed her hand over her chin thoughtfully. "Does this seem like the Devil's realm to you?"

"That's the problem with that hypothesis. It doesn't. The Devil's realm was barren, all rock and metal. This place holds no resemblance to it at all."

"Well, he was on his own for five years- and he's plenty powerful to justify his ambition. Could he not have molded the realm to his liking in the absence of the Devil's influence?"

"That's possible, I suppose. Do you happen to know where he is?"

"Unfortunately not. But I'm sure we can find him together."

"Right, you mentioned that before." Asra speared the last bit of his dinner on his fork and ate it, using the silence to mull over their next course of action. If he was to tell the truth, he was firmly convinced that Thomas was there, in this realm, and he wanted nothing more than to just find _him_. He missed him horribly, but what was more, he wanted answers. He wanted to know why Thomas left, why he never came back, why he never tried to _contact_ him- He'd been in the magical realms before, and they were connected. He was firmly convinced that, had he wanted to, Thomas would've been able to sense him there and make contact _somehow_. He knew how to use water as a portal, for example, and Asra's gate was _full_ of water- as was this realm. 

But he had to consider the situation as a whole. He had been sent to investigate the village's disappearance, and the fact that they were being held prisoner here took precedence. He had to find Alain, find out what the heck he was doing, and put a stop to it, if he needed to. The prospect of there being a different Devil wasn't an entirely unenticing one- if Alain was a good person, he could take on the Devil's power, and wield it rightly, differently than the old Devil had, and the realm wouldn't be a void anymore. If this was the Devil's realm, if this was Alain's doing, Asra had little doubt that Alain could turn it into a realm full of life, as the realms were meant to be. 

"Let me ask you this," Asra said, once he'd finished chewing, and set his fork down. "What do you think of Alain as a person? The Devil was as close to evil as I’ve ever been willing to call someone, maybe even crossed that line. If Alain is a good person...”

"He’s not a bad person,” Briar answered evenly. “I wouldn’t have taught him magic if I thought he was a bad person. But I wouldn’t call him a good person, either. He’s ambitious and he’s willing to bend rules to get what he wants. Never break them, but if he has to hurt people, he will.”

“Then maybe we need to bring him back to the physical world,” Asra said, doubt in his voice. “I wish there was a way to keep him out of the magical realms for good. He doesn’t sound like someone I want in that kind of position of power.” And then a thought occurred to him. “My parents said that there’s a dungeon in Vesuvia’s palace that negates magic. We could take him there.”

Now Briar looked doubtful. “I’m not sure he’s done enough to warrant being thrown in a dungeon.”

“He kidnapped an entire village of people. I’d call that justification enough.”

“That’s fair.” Briar gathered up their dinner plates and took them to the sink. “So we will seek Alain out tomorrow. You can stay here for the night, if you wish.”

"Thank you,” Asra replied, standing. “I would just go back to the physical world, but- well-“

“I understand. I just hope no one comes in after you. If you’re right and Alain is using us to amass power, we don’t need more people feeding him.”

“They won’t,” Asra said, confident. “The only two who would come to my aid who even can are my parents, and both of them are experienced enough to know not to follow me until they know why I can’t get back.”

“Good,” Briar said with a nod. “Care to join me for some tea before bed? Give us a chance to chat, maybe learn more about each other?"

"I'm always up for tea," Asra replied with a smile, and Briar put the kettle on, gesturing for Asra to go to the living room to make himself comfortable. Asra went, his mind turning. He struggled to keep his focus on Alain- that was the most important thing- but if Thomas was here... He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Overjoyed, but also... angry. At what, he wasn't sure. Had Thomas been here this whole time? Had he sensed that Alain was doing something to this realm, and went to stop it? If so, why hadn't Thomas taken him with him? 

He frowned sharply at himself, taking a serrated breath and letting it out. He didn't know for certain yet that Thomas was here. He needed to keep his focus on the immediate problem at hand: Alain. But if Thomas was here, he would find him- and he would free him, no matter what the cost.


	4. Chapter 4

Aisha glanced down at Chimes. "Well? Are we far enough away from the village that it's safe to do this?" she asked her quietly.

 _Safe_ , came Chimes's quiet reply. _Careful._

"I will be. Keep watch over me, and summon Salim and Flamel if something happens to me."

_Yes!_

Aisha settled down on the ground, breathing deeply, stretching her magical senses outwards. There was nothing there but the woodland animals, and she smiled to herself, letting her consciousness sink until she was floating, away from the physical world.

The first thing she did was go to the gate she shared with her husband. Her eyes opened to the familiar vista of stars and swirling skies, crystal clear geysers of water erupting around her. After their rescue, it had taken Aisha and Salim years to feel comfortable returning to their gate, and even then they had to fight the irrational fear that something would trap them there again. But it was years since Aisha felt that horrible fear, and she traversed her gate serenely, letting the peace of the place seep into her. For a moment, there wasn't an entire village of missing people, and her beloved child wasn't in mortal danger.

She let herself have that moment, then relaxed, reaching out again, to see if she could find Asra. She could sense him in the magical realms- he had quite a presence- but she couldn't pinpoint _where_ he was. Something was blocking her magic from reaching that far. With a sigh, she stood again, thinking about her next steps. She could seek out the Magician, Asra's patron, see if they knew anything about Asra's imprisonment, or she could seek out her own patron, the Lovers. Getting to the Magician's realm would be harder for her, but they were more likely to have useful information.

That decided, she focused her magic again, and a cool breeze that wasn't there before caressed her cheek, and she opened her eyes to the glittering beach of the Magician's realm. She'd been there only once before- when Asra brought her and Salim to introduce them to the Magician- but she remembered the way to the Magician's home well enough. She started walking up the beach, alert for any shift in the magic that comprised the realm.

She wasn't walking for long before indigo footprints appeared in the sand, walking towards her. As they came nearer, the Magician took form, fading into existence before her eyes. "Aisha," they greeted. "I am... surprised to find you alone. Where is Asra?"

"I was hoping you'd know the answer to that," Aisha said with a wry smile. "We have his body, but he's somewhere in the realms. We think he's trapped- along with an entire village full of people."

The Magician made an indeciperable noise, closing their eyes. Aisha felt their magic shimmer through the air all around her, an oddly comforting thing. Then they opened their eyes, their normally playful demeanor suddenly serious. "He is in the Fool's realm."

Aisha nodded, taking in that information. "You seem extremely displeased by this."

"I am. There's been an... upheaval in the Fool's realm, for quite some time. The rest of us have tried to stay out of it because of the circumstances of that realm, but if mortals are being pulled into the conflict..."

Aisha eyed him incredulously. "Perhaps you should explain what's going on."

The Magician sighed. "The Fool's realm had been empty for- oh, eight of your mortal years or so. Asra made a deal to trade half of his heart to allow Thomas the use of the Fool's body. Without the Fool present in their realm, it began to degrade. In general, realms need their Arcana to provide stability. We were unconcerned, though, because Scout, the Fool's companion, was still in the realm. It wouldn't disappear as long as Scout was there, as long as some part of the Fool was there.

"Then a young magician from a village close to Vesuvia decided to take a tour of the realms. We humored him, of course. He had no ill intentions, and only wanted to learn more about the Arcana and the magical realms. But when he came to the Fool's realm, saw the condition it was in... He determined to become the Fool, to restore the realm."

"But Thomas was using the Fool's body," Aisha said, understanding dawning on her. "He didn't simply abandon Asra all those years ago. He _had_ to leave, or disappear for good."

"Yes, and I am... distraught that Asra never came to me to ask."

"Asra was distraught himself," Aisha said softly. "I think he suspected something had gone wrong with his deal, with how completely Thomas vanished. I think he was afraid to discover the truth."

"And now he is caught in this magician's plans. Thomas hasn't made it easy on him. The Fool needed his body back to fight back against this magician, and Thomas has been helping, but they’re losing the fight. If this magician succeeds in killing the Fool and taking his place, Thomas’s life will end.”

“How much of this does Asra know?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that Asra was forced into the magical realms several days ago, and the magician’s magic is keeping him there. I can tell you that he didn’t know of Thomas’s body’s origin before this. I don’t know if that’s changed, but assuming it hasn’t, Asra very well may end up helping this magician. He’s charismatic enough to convince Asra that he’s doing what must be done.”

"Should we go in after him?” Aisha asked, a feeling of dread settling over her. If Asra had a hand in ending Thomas’s life, it would kill him.

“I can’t answer that for you. It would be dangerous. Anyone who goes in after him will be unable to leave again, unless Alain releases them. The fact that Asra is still there, despite being an outsider, tells me that Alain has no intention of letting anyone go. If you do go in after him, be very careful.”

Aisha nodded. “Alright. I’ll go back to the others and discuss it with them. Thank you.”

The Magician inclined their head. “I am sorry I can’t be of more help. If I could’ve intervened, I would have, especially when Alain kidnapped Asra. Alas, there is little I can do alone.”

Then the Magician gave a little gasp, and their eyes twinkled in the low light of predawn. “What? What is it?” Aisha asked. 

“Alone, I may not be able to help. But with the others...” They shook their head. “It is a long shot. We wouldn’t come together when the Devil threatened all of existence, and this is just one mortal magician waging war against one of us. But I may be able to convince a few of the others to come to the Fool’s aid. Don’t go after Asra yet. Allow me to make some inquiries.”

“May I come with you?” Aisha asked. “I’m already separated from the others, in case coming to the magical realms within the village would trap me. It would be easier for me to remain in the realms and take back a full picture of what’s going to happen.”

The Magician regarded her thoughtfully. “Are you protected? Is someone watching your body?”

“I casted a protection spell before I came here, and my familiar is with me. I can ask her to get my husband, since I will be here for a while.”

The Magician nodded. “Very well. Do that; I can make the case that one of our own has been threatened, and you can make the case that Thomas should be saved. How long will it take you to make contact with your familiar?”

“I can do that immediately.”

The Magician gestured expectantly at her, and she closed her eyes, seeking her connection to Chimes. _Aisha okay?_

_Yes. I need you to do something for me._

_Anything._

Aisha smiled at that. _I need you to contact Flamel, and have him bring Salim here. I’m going to be in the magical realms a while._

_Trapped?_

Chimes sounded so scared. _I’m not trapped, sweet. I’m going to try to get help for Asra. I just need someone to watch my body._

_Okay. Be safe!_

Chimes’s presence faded from her mind, and Aisha looked up at the Magician again. “Salim is on his way. Who will we go to first?”

The Magician mulled over the question. “The High Priestess, I think. She’s always been more concerned with mortals than the others. She will hear us out, in any event.”

“I would hope they would all hear us out,” Aisha said doubtfully.

The Magician smiled sadly. “We Arcana tend to want to avoid entangling ourselves in anyone’s affairs but our own. Why do you think I didn’t involve myself when I realized what the Devil had planned for the world? It’s... not in our natures to interfere with mortals. To even involve ourselves with mortals who we don’t have bonds with. I only came out to speak with you because I knew that Asra is in danger.”

“Perhaps that’s something the Arcana needs to change,” Aisha said softly. “This is the second time in a decade that the Arcana’s natural order of things has been threatened. Perhaps the Arcana need to learn to take interest in their own affairs.”

“Or perhaps mortals need to learn not to interfere with things beyond their comprehension.”

“That’s not entirely fair. The crisis with the Devil was-“

“Asra’s doing.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The Magician inclined their head. “The Devil had admittedly been scheming for a very, very long time, but Asra’s ritual to bring Thomas back gave the Devil the opportunity. If Asra had accepted Thomas’s death-“

“It was _Lucio’s_ ritual-“

“And Asra could have refused to help. Without Asra’s interventions, the ritual would have never happened.”

Aisha was quiet at that. She disagreed so strongly with the Magician blaming Asra for what happened ten years ago that she nearly withdrew her request for their help. Instead, she said, “Even if Asra put together the ritual, it was still Lucio’s idea.”

“And my point stands. We can lay the blame at Lucio’s feet for what happened, but he’s just as mortal as Asra is. A mortal engaging with powers they had no business engaging with gave the Devil the opportunity he needed to attempt to merge the worlds. The Devil is responsible for his own actions, but Lucio- and yes, Asra as well- didn’t help.”

Aisha sighed. “We don’t see eye to eye on this.”

“That’s fair. And it doesn’t change my willingness to help now. I didn’t intervene before now because Asra didn’t need my help, but he does now. Let’s go see if we can’t get the other Arcana to help as well.”

“Thank you,” Aisha said, as the Magician extended a hand. She took it, and then they were gone. 


	5. Chapter 5

Asra slept fitfully that night. Every nerve and muscle in his body urged him to seek out Thomas first. Thomas had been dealing with Alain for years now, if he believed Briar- and he did. He just didn’t know what to think of any of this. They had to find out what Alain’s intentions were, that had to be done before they did anything else, and he knew it. 

But the thought of seeing Thomas again sent a sharp ache of longing through his heart and body. He’d grieved long and hard, finally giving up hope just last year that Thomas would come back, and now he discovered that he might be here, trapped in the magical realms. Why hadn’t he ever gone looking for him here? Why hadn’t he gone to the Magician? 

These thoughts tore at him, drowning him in guilt. Traversing the magical realms was like second nature to Asra and he just... hadn’t. Why?

Anger. That was why. Now that he was confronted with the reality of what happened, Asra was angry at how Thomas had left without a trace. Thomas should have told him why he was leaving. Should’ve let him come with. Anything but what he’d done. 

It _hurt._

When he rose the next morning, he’d had very little sleep, and Briar noticed. “Couldn’t sleep last night?” she asked in sympathy, glancing up from the stove where eggs and fish were frying.

Asra shook his head miserably. “I keep thinking of Thomas. I want to go find _him._ I want to find out what in the world made him do this.”

Briar put out the fire under the pan and retrieved two plates. “I can’t answer for anyone but myself,” she said, “but I sincerely think that that we will find the answers you’re looking for if we find Alain. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Thomas disappeared the night of the storm. Hell, if we find Alain, we may find Thomas. They’ve been fighting for the last five years, after all.”

“This is true.” Asra paused, then asked, “Are you aware of when they’re fighting?”

“Not so far. I only know they have been because Alain tried to justify his actions to me when he first brought us here. When he realized I disapproved of them, no matter his excuses, he left and hasn’t come back.”

“I guess we have little choice, then,” Asra said. “I was sent to help you, and I’m going to do that. I just... I miss him so much. He was my life, and then he was just... gone. I’m so close to finding out what happened to him... it’s hard to focus on this.”

“I understand,” Briar said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “If you want to split up, I understand. Both of these things must be dealt with.”

Asra shook his head. “No, we should stay together. Alain sounds dangerous, and helping you is my job. I’ll do it. I’d rather not have someone face a rogue magician alone. You seem more than capable. I think if you thought you could take him down alone, you’d have done it already.”

Briar nodded. “I’ve been waiting for the right time, some sign that Thomas has weakened him for me to strike. If I have someone with me, maybe it will be enough.”

Asra nodded. “I want to hear him out myself. If we are where I think we are, this could be a good thing.”

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Asra braced himself. He didn’t know how this woman would react to being second-guessed. But she simply nodded. “Understandable. I wouldn’t expect an investigator from Vesuvia to simply take my word for it. And you may be right. If we can make him see reason- this realm _is_ beautiful. If I weren’t here against my will, I might even want to stay.”

“That isn’t advisable,” Asra replied, his voice mild, understanding. 

Briar smiled at him. “Of course it isn’t. I am a magician as well, you know. I know very well that the magical realms are dangerous.” Her face fell. “I just wish I knew that Alain knew that. I know I taught him that they are. I’m just not sure that he believes it anymore.”

“We’ll get to the bottom of everything,” Asra said kindly. “I faced the Devil and was victorious. I can handle a rogue magician.”

“I hope you’re right. Well, time’s wasting. Let’s get ready to go.”

* * *

An hour later, Asra and Briar were walking away from the village, without a clear destination in mind. Asra looked at Briar expectantly. “Well? You were Alain’s master. You have a better idea of what he feels like. Where are we headed?”

Briar closed her eyes, and Asra felt her magic reaching out. It was a pleasant sensation, like digging his toes into cool earth on a hot summer day. “He’s north of here,” Briar said, pointing in that direction. “He... felt that. I think he’s going to meet us half-way.”

“Well, that’s not ominous at all.” Asra frowned.

But he didn’t stop walking, keeping stride with Briar. “He wasn’t hostile,” she told him. “More curious than anything. He sensed you with me.”

“Good. I have no intention of hiding from him.”

They walked together across a field, discussing different magical techniques to pass the time. Asra was enchanted. Briar was a remarkably talented magician. Asra was powerful, but he was mostly self-taught. There was so much he could learn from her, and the more they talked, the more Asra considered asking her to teach him, when everything was done.

As they ventured into a forest, they began to share stories of their students. It had been a long time since Asra talked about Thomas, and much to his surprise, the pain he felt when he thought of him was but a dull ache. Whether that was from time, knowledge that he was getting Thomas back again, or a combination of both, Asra wasn’t sure. All he knew was that the relief that it wasn’t tortuous, as it had been in the past, was almost overwhelming.

Briar noticed. “You seem distracted. What’s on your mind?”

He was hesitant to be open about it, but he needed her to trust him. “Thomas. I don’t know what’s going on, why he’s here, why he left, but the fact that I’m going to be able to see him again... I’m not sure how I feel about it.” He looked down. “Even after all of these years, I still love him so much... I just don’t know if that’s reciprocated anymore.”

Briar gazed at him sympathetically. “You will have the opportunity to clear the air with him. No matter what happens, it will be what it will be. And I’ll be here to support you.”

Asra gave her a bit of a smirk. “We just met.”

“We did, but I feel like I’ve known you for years,” Briar replied, meeting his smirk with a smile.

Asra’s face relaxed into a smile of his own. “Same, to be honest. I was actually thinking, when all is said and done here, would you... teach me?”

Briar gave him a look. “I don’t need to see your magic to know that you’re profoundly powerful. I’m not sure there’s anything I can teach you.”

“I’m self-taught. I never had a consistent teacher. And you taught someone who, as far as we know, is taking on an Arcana. That’s nothing to sneeze at. I think I could learn a lot from you.”

"Perhaps. Let's see how things end up before we go making teacher-bonds." She gave a flustered laugh. "I'm not so sure I'm a good teacher. Alain is... talented, but it was my job to mold his morals, and they seem to have fallen short."

"We don't know that yet," Asra said, trying to sound reassuring.

Again, Briar glanced at him. "He's kidnapped an entire village of people. I would call that morally inept, at best."

"Yes, well... that's true. I just... don't want to believe that he's a bad person."

"Not even with Thomas fighting against him?"

Asra winced. "Thomas very well may have changed," he said, and he couldn't believe that his unshakable faith in his beloved was shaken. Maybe his love wasn't as firm as he thought it was.

Briar stopped walking, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You can assume the worst of Alain if you think that's the case," she said softly. "You don't need to be impartial when it comes to someone you love."

"It's more complicated than that," Asra said, sounding torn. "I don't know why he left. I don't know why he's fighting Alain. I don't know _anything_. I want to believe that he's on the right side.”

Briar’s expression was almost pitying. “Believe what your heart is telling you,” she said softly. “Do you believe, in your heart of hearts, that he’s the good guy here?”

Asra swallowed hard. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Then believe that. I don’t know what’s driving Alain to do what he’s doing but I believe it’s the wrong thing. But I also believe he can be saved, so that’s what I’m holding onto. We’ll get to the bottom of this, Asra. I promise.”

Asra nodded, taking a deep breath. “Alright. You’re right. Thomas must have a good reason for what he’s doing. I-“ his words were cut off by a rustling in the underbrush. “What was that?”

“An animal, perhaps?” Briar sounded unsure of herself.

Asra focused on the spot he’d heard the noise from. What he felt from it made his blood run cold. “That’s- that’s a plague beetle,” he said in a tight voice.

“What? Are you sure?”

“Positive. Everyone in the village is in danger, if those things are here.”

Briar straightened. “Well. We’re just going to have to exterminate them, aren’t we?”

Asra nodded, focusing again, trying to find their nest. But something was dreadfully wrong. “These things are huge,” Asra said in a low voice. “It might not be as simple as destroying their nest. We need help-“

Without warning, a red beetle the size of a small dog skittered out of the brush, heading right for Asra. Asra hastily summoned a shield, and the thing bounced off of it and came at him again. Briar summoned her magic to her hands and slashed it down the center, killing it.

Just as Asra was about to drop his shield, thanking Briar for her quick thinking, three more of the beetles emerged from the underbrush. Asra expanded his shield to cover both of them as more and more approached them, bouncing off the shield. "What now?" he asked.

"We have to kill them," Briar answered. "We can't let them get to the village. If the red plague starts infecting people, we'll be wiped out in a week."

Asra nodded. "I have to drop the shield to do that. I can shatter it to force them away, but we're going to have to act quickly after that."

"How good are you at combat magic?" Briar asked grimly.

"Good enough to defeat an Arcana, but I had help with that."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll do just fine against a nest of beetles. Ready?"

Asra nodded, looking out over the path, now swarmed with the things. He inhaled, exhaled, and then _shoved_ his magic outward. The shield drove the beetles back and shattered, killing the ones that were up against it. The remaining beetled swarmed towards them without any hesitation, and Asra summoned his magic to his hands, forming a sword of ice. He didn't have the attention to spare Briar; the beetles were on them, and he hacked at them ungracefully, struggling to keep them off of him. There were just so many of them, and they kept coming!

After what felt like hours, but could've only been minutes, the swarm thinned out. Asra was panting, sweat threatening to drip into his eyes. He took a moment to wipe the sweat away, and then yelled in surprise and pain as _something_ dug into his leg. He swore loudly as he brought his sword down on the beetle, cleaving it in two. Briar glanced at him, but only momentarily as she fended off and killed two more beetles. "Were you bitten?" she called out.

"Yes!" Asra stabbed a beetle through its carapice, then yanked the sword free and focused his magic once more. His shield appeared around them, driving the beetles back once again. As soon as they were away from them, Asra's leg gave out and he went to his knee with a gasp, excruciating pain radiating from the bite. 

Briar rushed over and hastily pulled his pant leg up, wincing at the horrible red veins snaking up his leg from the bite. "We need to get you to safety," she said, looking up at the beetles. There weren't as many as there were before, but there were still too many for Briar to handle alone- and the infection was spreading through Asra too fast for him to be of any use fighting them off anymore. She gritted her teeth, and just as Asra was about to tell her to make a break for it, leave him and get help, she said, "I'm going to try to contact Alain. This might not be a good idea, but I'm out of ideas- is your link to Thomas still as strong as it was when he left?"

"I don’t know,” Asra said through gritted teeth. “I can try reaching him, but-“

Briar cut him off, “No, don’t, if you’re not sure. I know Alain is near. Focus on the shield.”

Asra nodded, sweating and dizzy. Already, his fingers had a reddish tint to them; he could just imagine what his face looked like. He felt Briar’s magical call, urgent and afraid, and felt the return call, reassurance. Alain was close.

Asra tried to shut down the part of his mind that screamed at him that summoning the magician who had kidnapped an entire village of people was a bad idea. They had little choice; Asra was sure Thomas would respond, but they needed help now.

He began to feel faint, as Briar knelt next to him, magic in her hands as she tried to soothe him. “I need to turn the shield over to you,” Asra murmured, closing his eyes. He was so tired, in so much pain...

As Asra had requested, he felt Briar’s magic expand over his, and he dropped the shield in relief. But Briar kept her focus on him, shaking his shoulders. “Asra! Stay with me! Asra! Asra!”

Breathing was getting hard; he felt like there was a weight pressing down on his chest. The speed at which he was deteriorating shocked him. Death usually came three or four days after infection. His last coherent thought was that it must be spreading so fast because he was in the magical realms.

Through the haze of pain and exhaustion, Asra saw a flash of light through his closed eyes, heard Briar exclaim, “Alain! Thank the-“

And then nothing. 


	6. Chapter 6

Aisha was exhausted. So far she and the Magician had had no luck getting the other Arcana to agree to help. All of them called it mortal business, and urged the Magician to disengage from it, as well. The closest they came to an Arcana agreeing to help was the High Priestess, and she only agreed to keep her deal with Nadia, in case Nadia needed magical sight.

Aisha hadn’t known that Nadia had magical sight to begin with, but the Magician had been deeply unimpressed. They finally took her back to their own realm, shaking their head in disgust. "I cannot believe no one is willing to help,” the Magician said. “This isn’t just mortal business. The Devil nearly succeeded in his plans a decade ago because of our inaction, and now...”

Aisha was quiet. "We have to go to the Fool's realm," she said finally. "We have to warn Asra what's going on."

"If you go to the Fool's realm, you'll be trapped there until this rogue magician lets you go."

"Do we have a choice anymore?" Aisha challenged. "None of the Arcana will help, and if we don't do something, Thomas will..." She cut herself off, too upset to speak it. 

The Magician was quiet in the horrible silence that spiraled out from Aisha's observation. "Thomas has been in danger for the last five years," the Magician said evenly, "and Alain hasn't gotten the better of him or the Fool yet. With Asra there, their chances go up exponentially. I ask that you trust them, Aisha. They are more than capable of fending for themselves. But if you choose to go..." They hesitated. "Go back to your friends. Talk to them about what you've discovered here. If you choose to go in after Asra after all, come back here. We will go together."

"Thank you." Aisha took a deep, cleansing breath, and then nodded firmly to herself. "Alright. Salim should be there by now. We'll go back to the village together."

"Very well. Off you go!"

Everything went dark, and there was a sensation of falling before her eyes slid open, still sitting on the forest floor where she had gone into the magical realms. Her husband sat across from her, holding her hands, and peered into her eyes in worry as she looked at him. "Well? What did you discover?"

"Asra's made some very poor decisions in his youth, for one," Aisha said. She quickly told him what the Magician told her of Asra and Thomas's past, and of their attempts to get the Arcana to agree to help with this issue. "I think we need to go to the Fool's realm," she said finally. "The Magician doesn't think we should, considering that doing so will trap us until Alain is defeated- or he lets us go- but Asra needs to know what the Magician told us. And I think we can help, if we go."

"I'm not sure that's a decision we should make alone," Salim said, looking torn. "You're right, this is crucial information, but so is the Magician- and there's a chance that Asra will find out about it on his own."

Aisha looked down, then stood, Salim scrambling to help her up. "We do need to talk to Nadia before we make any decisions," she said, as they started walking. "What condition was Asra in when you left?"

"The same. Nonresponsive. I'm eager to get back to him and give him a boost of magic. Muriel said he can do it- I showed him how- but I... I don't want to leave my child in that condition for too long."

“Agreed,” Aisha said. “I really think we should go in after him. I’ve got a terrible feeling about all of this, like something horrible has already happened to him. We have to go to him.”

“Patience, my love. You were right when you said we need to talk to Nadia, first.” Salim sighed and wrung his hands. “I just wish there was something more that we could do.”

“Let’s see what Nadia says.”

Salim took Aisha’s hand, and they walked together back to the village. Things were much the same as they were when Aisha left; Salim went right to Asra, where Muriel sat beside him, and swept his magic over him as Aisha explained the situation to Nadia. Nadia listened gravely. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she said, when Aisha was done.

"But-“

“I know you’re worried about your child. We are, too. But going in after him is just going to add to the number of people he’s responsible for rescuing. I sent him because I trust him and believe he can handle anything that comes at him. I ask that you trust him as well.”

Aisha bit back an angry retort. “I trust him,” she said, “but this is information he has to know.”

"If we can figure out a way to ensure that you won’t be trapped, then you can go.”

Aisha nodded. Nadia was being unreasonable, as far as she was concerned, but her say was final. “We better get started on investigating that, then,” she said in a tight voice, and went into the living room to check on Asra.

Nadia watched her go, then said to Julian, seated next to her, “She’s going to go in anyway, isn’t she?”

"Er- if I know her, yes. Possibly Salim as well."

Nadia chewed her thumbnail, keeping her voice down. "We can't have both of them go in. Muriel is strong but I don't think he'll be able to sustain three comatose magicians."

"We can do it the mundane way," Julian offered.

"We can. I was hoping that this would be resolved by the time we got to that point, though." She sighed heavily. "See if you can get Salim alone, convince him to let his wife go after Asra and stay here. I'm not going to push her. I can't fathom how she feels right now, and I get the feeling that attempting to intervene will only get her irrate with me. And I understand where she's coming from. That _is_ crucial information Asra needs to have." Julian watched her wordlessly, letting her debate the situation in her head, before standing. "Actually, there is no need to try to convince Salim to stay behind. I will tell Aisha that if she wants to go, I won't try to stop her."

Julian stood with her, and went into the living room with her. "Aisha. Salim," Nadia greeted. Both magicians turned their attention to her, and she took a deep breath. "You are correct, Aisha. This is information that Asra needs to have. If you still want to go in after him, I'll stop resisting you. But Salim, I need you to stay here. Muriel can't handle three comatose magicians at once."

The three of them looked at each other. Muriel shrugged. "She's right. I can help, but... I don't have the training you do."

Salim looked at Muriel curiously. "Didn't Asra ever teach you, like he taught Thomas?"

"Thomas was... how much do you know of his history?"

Aisha spoke up. "The Magician told me that Asra brought Thomas back to life."

Muriel waited for Salim to react to this- and he did, his eyes widening ever so slightly, and then nodded. "Yes. All of Asra's instruction came after that. Thomas needed to be taught how to be a person again. Before his death- he could've taught _Asra_. Asra was almost completely self-taught. I was never interested in it, and for a while, I couldn't if I wanted to."

Nadia wanted to ask Muriel what circumstances removed the possibility of magical training, but knew better than to ask by now. Muriel was an extremely private person, and attempts to delve into his past were like running headlong into a brick wall. Instead she simply said, “So, do you intend to go?”

Aisha nodded. “I do. I understand that you don’t want me to, and I understand why, but that’s my child trapped in the realms. I failed him almost his entire life. I won’t fail him now.”

“You didn’t fail him,” Muriel said softly. “Lucio and the Devil took you from him. He doesn’t blame you for what happened.”

“Thank you for saying that,” Salim said sadly, “but I’m afraid that does little to assuage our regrets.”

“Now isn’t the time for regrets as old as those,” Julian said. “I’ve sent a message back to the palace for my sister to bring me a few texts and some medical supplies, so-“

“How in the world-“ Nadia started. 

“Malak followed us.”

“Of course.” Nadia turned a smile on the two magicians. “So there you have it. You will be well-guarded if you choose to go, Aisha.”

“I choose to go.”

Julian glanced up the stairs. “Can we commandeer other rooms in this house?”

“I think we have little choice in the matter, at this point,” Nadia murmured. “We can’t make Aisha just lie on the floor. She will have to use a bedroom.”

"It will be easier to monitor and sustain them if they’re in the same room,” Salim said.

Nadia nodded. “The master bedroom, then. Hopefully the bed is big enough for them both. Muriel? Can you carry Asra?”

“Yes.” Muriel went to Asra and scooped his still form up in his arms, then looked to Nadia for guidance. She headed for the stairway, friends in-tow, and they all went up the stairs. Nadia checked the first room she came to, then opened the door wide and moved aside. The bedroom was large, with a large bed. “They’ll both fit,” Muriel said, trundling into the room and laying Asra down with an immense amount of care.

Aisha laid on the other side of the bed, and reached for Salim. “I’ll bring him back,” she said, confidence and warmth in her voice. “I promise.”

“I have no doubt. Be safe, my love.” Salim bent and kissed her gently, before pulling away and going to the desk in the room. He pulled out the chair and sat, watching as Aisha closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

Several minutes passed before Salim spoke again. “She’s in the realms. Now we wait.”

Nadia looked over her friends, unconscious, and shook her head. “Losing Thomas was a blow I didn’t think I’d recover from,” she murmured. “Now I’m faced with losing Asra and Aisha as well.”

“You won’t lose them,” Julian said softly. “Asra and Aisha are more than capable, and are capable of taking care of each other.”

“And what of this rogue magician?”

Muriel was the one who spoke. “If Aisha is right, and Thomas is in that realm, they will find each other. And they will be unstoppable.” Muriel’s missy gaze shifted to his friend. “I’d worry about that magician’s safety. If Asra discovers that Thomas is there against his will, Asra _will_ hurt them. I’m not sure Aisha reminding him that he isn’t judge, jury and executioner will stop him.”

“I’ve never known Asra to lose his temper like that.” Julian frowned. 

“There have been... a few times Asra has lost his temper. Most of them when we were growing up and one of us was in danger.” A ghost of a smile crossed Muriel’s lips. “Once, after we first met, the gang of kids that asked me to... recruit him, turned on us when they realized Asra still had no intention of joining them. We ran. But they caught up. Normally they were afraid of me. I’ve always been bigger than average. But there were so many of them- all of them. Surrounding us. Asra was still trying to figure out how to get away from them when one of them hit me. Asra lashed out. They were more scared than hurt, but Asra- he was so upset when he realized what he’d done.” He shook his head. “I rarely saw Asra lose his temper after that. Things rarely bothered him enough to get more than a glare from him. But when he was angered or frightened enough... I was never afraid of him, but anyone threatening us certainly were.”

“That tracks,” Julian said, looking at Asra’s still form fondly. “Although I once asked him if he had any temper at all. If anything ever bothered him. It... wasn’t a pleasant conversation.”

Muriel snorted. Salim looked at him curiously, then said, “Well, there’s nothing we can do now except wait, I suppose. It’s getting late. We should find something to eat and get some rest.”

“Indeed.” Nadia sighed. “I wish I knew how long we’re going to be here. We will have to take food from the village if they aren’t back soon.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand,” Julian said, heading out of the room. He continued walking, and no one heard what he said after that. 

Fond exasperation crossed Nadia’s features as she followed him. “Doctor, we cannot hear you when you’re walking-“ And then she was gone as well, leaving Muriel and Salim in the room. 

Muriel shifted, cast one last fleeting look at Asra, and said, “I’ll bring you something to eat.”

And then Salim was alone. He sighed, turning his eyes to his wife and child. “Bring him home, Aisha.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Alain! Thank the gods!”

Briar watched through the shield as Alain’s magic ripped through the remaining plague beetles. He stood in the path, a sword of magic glowing in his hand, as he looked around. Briar felt his magic sweep over the area, and he tensed. “Excuse me,” he said, turning from them and heading into the underbrush. Briar lost sight of him briefly, only to see a bright flash of magic, and Alain returned after another moment. “That was their nest. Those particular pests won’t be bothering us anymore. How is your friend?”

Briar let her shield drop in relief, letting Alain approach them. As Alain knelt next to them, she said, “Not good. He was bitten by one of those things.”

“I can see that.” Briar felt Alain’s magic again, this time sweeping over Asra.

“Can you help him?”

“I don’t know. He’s very far gone.” Alain cursed softly, laying a hand on Asra’s chest and focusing his magic. It spread over Asra like a blanket. Slowly, the angry red veins spiderwebbing over his skin receded. Asra’s breathing eased, and in moments, his skin was no longer hot to the touch.

“I think he’s out of danger,” Alain said, “but we should get him to safety. I know our last parting was... unpleasant... but I ask you to trust me now, for his sake. I don’t want to be wrong about him being out of danger and have his condition worsen somewhere I can’t reach him.”

“That’s fair enough. We were coming to talk to you, anyway. How far is it to your base?”

“Too far.” Alain scooped Asra up into his arms and stood. Briar followed suite. “I can transport us there with magic. Hold onto me.”

Briar put a hand on his shoulder, crowding close. Alain focused his power, and in only a split second, they stood in a great hall, a throne on one end, the other with doors that opened up to a fortress. “Well,” Briar said, looking around, her mood soured by the throne. “A throne. And who are your subjects, Alain?”

Alain glared at her. “Is this really the right situation to hash out our disagreements? I need to get your friend in a bed so I can examine him more closely. I need to make sure I eradicated the plague.”

Briar’s shoulders slumped. “Yes. We need to make sure Asra is alright first. We can talk later.”

Alain nodded and started moving, Briar following close behind. “So this is the famous Asra,” he said, glancing down at him.

“Famous?” Briar prompted.

“Perhaps not ‘famous,’” Alain admitted, “but I’ve heard of him. If the stories are true, he is extremely powerful. Now, what is he doing here?”

Briar sighed. “He was sent by the Countess to investigate the village’s disappearance.”

“Is that so? I suppose you’ve come to the right place to find out about that,” Alain said wistfully. “He’s not going to like what I have to say, though.”

“If it’s what you had to say to me, he already knows.”

“I expect he does. I’ve made progress since we talked.”

Briar’s eyes narrowed at him. “Oh have you?”

“I’ll tell you both when he wakes. I do hate repeating myself.”

With that, Alain shouldered a door open, and went into the room. He laid Asra down on the bed and knelt beside him, his magic in his hands. “I wish I knew where those blasted things are coming from,” he muttered as he rolled up Asra’s pants leg. “The last thing I need is them getting to the village.”

“Maybe we can help with that.”

“Maybe.” Alain put a hand over he bite, focusing his magic. Red no longer streaked out from it, but the bite itself was still angry and crimson, dried blood dripping from the wound. Alain’s magic pooled in the bite, cool and soothing.

Briar watched as Alain slowly healed the wound, and Asra’s labored breathing eased. Alain swayed where he knelt, and Briar reached out, putting a steadying hand on his shoulder. Alain patted her hand, then shrugged her off, standing. “All we can do now is let him rest,” he said, turning to her. “Are you hungry?”

Now that the danger was past, Briar exhaled a little sharp breath, her shoulders sagging. “I am,” she admitted, “but I’d rather wait for Asra to wake up.”

“As you wish,” Alain murmured. “Feel free to peruse the contents of the desk if you get bored. Call for me when Asra awakens.”

With that, Alain left the room, closing the door softly behind him. Briar dragged the chair over to the bed and sat down, watching Asra’s still face. “Please wake up soon,” she whispered. She had such a bad feeling about this situation. Alain had made no threatening moves or comments, but she felt that the longer they were there, the greater the chance that something would go dreadfully wrong. 

* * *

Asra woke slowly, as if his nightmares didn’t want to let him go. The dreams fled his mind the moment he was aware that they were only dreams, but that left him with the awful feeling that he was in danger. 

As lucidity returned, he realized that he was somewhere unfamiliar. He was laying in a soft, comfortable bed, a fact that set his nerves on edge. He had been nowhere near a comfortable bed, last he remembered, so how did he get there?

What was the last thing he remembered? He searched his memory almost frantically. He’d been in the woods with Briar, and then there were huge plague beetles-

And Asra knew what had happened. He sat up with a gasp, hands going to his leg. Briar was beside him in an instant, gently pushing him back down. “Easy,” she said in a soothing tone. “You nearly died. You need to move slowly.”

“Why aren’t I dead?” Asra let her push him back to the mattress.

“Alain got to us just as you lost consciousness. He took care of the beetles, then brought us here and healed you.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Several hours. Alain has been by a few times to see if you’re awake yet. He’s worried about you.”

Asra let out a puff of breath and put his hand to his face. “He doesn’t sound like the villain you’re afraid he is,” he said. “Maybe this is all just a misunderstanding.”

“Possibly,” Briar admitted, “I’m worried about you, too. How are you feeling?”

“Better now. Good as new. You can let me sit up.” Briar took her hand off his chest and he sat up, slowly this time, and reached for his ankle again. He felt only smooth skin where he was bitten, couldn’t tell by sight that he’d been injured at all. “He’s powerful, isn’t he?” Asra said, a bit of awe in his voice.

“He is. He’s gotten more powerful than I could ever dream of being. I hope this is all a misunderstanding, because I’m not sure we can stop him if it’s not.”

Asra swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood cautiously, testing his weight on his injured ankle. He could walk on it fine. “Well, we’re not making any progress by sitting in here talking about it,” he said, eager to go talk to him. If this was a misunderstanding, Alain could help him find Thomas. He wasn’t sure what he’d do when they were reunited, but Asra was hopeful that they would be for the first time in years. “Do you know where he is?” Asra asked. “The sooner we talk to him, the better.”

“I don’t, but I’m sure we can find him.” Briar’s face relaxed into a smile. “I’m so glad you’re alright, Asra.”

“I am, too. Lead the way.”

Briar led him out of the bedroom, down a hallway. Asra could feel her magic guiding them through the halls of the fortress. It was brightly lit and warm, and Asra had the feeling it was well-loved, a carefully crafted home designed to be welcoming. He could sense Alain’s magic interwoven in the torches that cast merry light on the hallways. This certainly didn’t seem like the lair of an evil magician. It was comfortable, comforting- and completely disarming. The moment Asra realized that, he tensed up, grimly determined not to let his guard down again.

Footsteps from down another hall halted them. They stood, waiting, as a man dressed in red and black turned a corner. He was young- younger than Asra- with close-cropped black hair, a bit taller than Asra, but carrying himself with an authority Asra wouldn’t dare to take.

The man’s gaze swept over them curiously. “I told you to call for me when he woke up,” the man murmured.

“He wanted to come find you,” Briar said. “Asra, this is Alain. Alain, Asra.”

They stared at each other, a hint of awkwardness in each of their stances. Alain got over his awkwardness first, bowing his head slightly to him. “It is truly an honor to meet you, Asra,” he said quietly, with a wide smile. “You’re a legend in several places I’ve been. Is it true you saved Vesuvia from imminent destruction when you were younger?”

Asra couldn’t help but feel flattered despite the situation. “It was a bit more than just Vesuvia, but I’m surprised you know about that. Not many in Vesuvia know it, even.”

“I heard of you in Prakra. Incidentally, that’s where you have legend status. Apparently the whole damn Prakran royal family was there?”

“They- they were.”

“You can’t hope to escape fame with that kind of witness. Although I can see talking about it is putting you ill at ease, so I’ll change the subject. Walk with me, won’t you?”

Asra cast an unsure glance at Briar, who nodded. “Alright,” Asra said, a bit hesitantly. There was something about Alain that set his nerves on edge, despite his friendliness and hospitality.

Alain jerked his head towards the hallway that he’d emerged from, and the three of them started walking. “I understand from Briarwood that you were sent to investigate Absecon’s disappearance,” Alain said.

“Yes, I was. And it’s my understanding that you are responsible for it. I’d like to know why.”

“Straight to the point... very well. Do you mind if I start from the beginning?”

“Whatever you need to get to the point.” Asra was unable to keep an impatient note from his voice.

“I’m detecting a bit of hostility.”

“From where I am, it looks like you kidnapped an entire village and are holding them hostage for some reason. I want to give you a fair shot at defending yourself, but you have to understand how this looks for yourself.”

“I understand it looks bad. Hear me out.” 

By then, they had reached another set of plain double doors. Alain opened them with a flick of his wrist, his magic gently pushing them open. Alain guided them inside, and the moment Briar’s feet were within the chamber, the door closed behind them.

Asra tensed, but rather than demanding to know what Alain was doing, looked around. It was bare but for a waist-high column in the center of the domed chamber. He could feel magic radiating off of the great crystal that rested on top of it. Asra approached it cautiously, even as Alain went right to it.

“When I first left Absecon,” Alain said, placing a hand on the crystal, “I went to Prakra, seeking out a teacher who could teach me more that Miss Briarwood could. It was there that I heard stories about you, Asra.”

As he spoke, the chamber darkened, then brightened as colorful scenes splashed over the walls. Asra turned around, looking at them in awe, before he realized he was looking at Prakra city. “What are you doing?” he murmured.

“Just adding a bit of color to the narrative.”

Briar snorted. “You’ve always had a flair for the dramatic.”

Alain chuckled. “There’s a purpose for the visual aid, I promise.”

Asra took in the illusion, impressed despite himself, and said, “Then get to it. Don’t tell me I have anything to do with this. I didn’t even know you existed until, what? Two days ago?”

Alain’s smile turned cynical. “As you say, I’m a complete stranger to you, but by the time I left Prakra, I had learned all I could of you. I determined to learn what I could, then go to Vesuvia, find you, ask for you to teach me.”

Asra kept quiet at that. From what he’d seen of Alain’s power so far, he doubted that he could teach him anything, and he was quickly becoming uncomfortable with where this was going. Alain, seeming to be oblivious, continued: “From what I learned of you, you are a master at traversing the magical realms. I traveled the world, as you did, and I traveled the magical realms. The Magician, the Star, the Hermit- all of them. I even attempted to reach the Hanged Man, although I’m sure you can imagine how well that went.”

As Alain spoke, the illusion shifted; first the familiar beach of the Magician’s realm, a peaceful lighthouse, a dark yet soothingly peaceful castle, a mangrove swamp. “Then you saw what I did to the Devil,” Asra said, quickly losing his patience. 

Alain nodded, the room darkening. “I visited the Devil as well, yes, mostly to see if the stories I’d heard of you were true. Now that I’ve met you, I know for certain, your magic is still all over that realm.” He paused. “But so was someone else’s.”

Asra inhaled sharply. “Leave Thomas out of this.”

“I wish I could. After the Devil, I continued my tour of the magical realms, to the last realm I had to visit: the Fool.” He paused, looking up at Asra. “Let me show you what I found when I first arrived here.”

Abruptly, the darkness shifted. All around them, the landscape was broken. The ground fell away into nothingness while shards of the sky broke away and disintegrated, the sky a sickly shade of green around the edges. “What- what _is_ this?” Asra breathed.

“The realms need an Arcana present,” Alain said, “or they begin to destroy themselves. My first thought was to seek you out immediately. But then I realized that the realm’s magic was familiar- I’d felt it in the Devil’s realm.”

Asra felt sick at that. “What have you done?” he whispered. He couldn’t be saying what he thought he was saying.

“The realm needs an Arcana, Asra. The Fool abandoned his realm, to give your beloved a second chance.”

“You’re lying.” The words were spat out through clenched teeth.

“I take no pleasure in this. I’m glad you seem to have caught on without going into the gory details, but this is something I _have_ to do. The realm needs an Arcana, and if the Fool can’t be bothered to be here, someone has to take that mantle.”

“You’re the reason Thomas disappeared! He was trying to stop you!”

“Indeed. My actions forced the Fool to return- and he had to come with him, considering that he was using the Fool’s body.”

Asra was trembling now, a maelstrom of emotions wreaking havoc over him. It took Briar only a glance at him to realize that Asra couldn’t continue the conversation. “The Fool is back, though, right? You don’t need to-“

“I do. Although Thomas is out of the picture-“

Asra gasped sharply. “What do you mean, he’s out of the picture?”

“Asra, I had to defend myself. That is my right. You can’t honestly expect me to just-“

“ _What did you do?_ Where is he?!”

“I’m afraid Thomas perished in our last clash.”

Asra felt like the floor dropped out beneath him. A roaring hiss filled his ears, nearly drowning out how his heart threatened to pound out of his chest. “Give him back,” Asra snarled.

Alain finally seemed to understand that he was in danger. “Asra-“

“ _Give him back!_ ” Magic crackled at his fingertips. Without truly knowing what he was doing, Asra flung his magic out at Alain. It hit a hastily erected shield, and Asra lunged at Alain, ignoring how Briar screamed at him to think about this before he did it. He shut out everything else. This man had taken everything from him, and he wanted it back. 


	8. Chapter 8

Aisha opened her eyes to the Magician’s realm, surprised to find herself there, rather than in the Fool’s realm. “Magician? Are you here?”

“I am,” came the Magician’s reply. Their voice was tight. “I’m glad you’re here. We must hurry. Something’s wrong; I sense that Asra is in deep distress. I don’t know what happened, but if we don’t get to him quickly, I don’t know what will happen.”

Aisha paled, but nodded. The Magician reached out and took her hand gently in their clawed one, and she felt their magic wash over her. The world distorted, and when she could see clearly, they were standing before a great fortress, welcoming but secure. “How are we going to get in?” Aisha asked.

The Magician gave her a sidelong smile, and flicked their hand at the doors. They creaked open, revealing a long hallway, carpeted and brightly lit. “Can you sense him?” The Magician asked.

Aisha nodded, hurrying into the fortress. “He’s expending a lot of magic,” she said, as the Magician followed. "It’s like he’s out of control.”

“Whatever happened, he is enraged,” the Magician said, as they let the pull of Asra’s magic guide them through the halls. "There are two other magicians with him. We need to get there. This way!”

The Magician took the lead, the two of them breaking into a run. Aisha wondered what could happen that would make her cool-headed child lose it like this, but she knew the Magician was right. Asra was in danger as long as he was acting blindly, as it felt like his magic, wild and erratic, was indicating.

They skidded to a halt before a set of plain double doors. The feeling of magic permeated the air here, and they could hear the sounds of battle beyond. Aisha tried the door handle; when it didn’t give, she put her shoulder to it and shoved. Still, it didn’t yield. “Move,” the Magician said in a tight voice. Aisha ducked out of the way and the Magician raised their magic, aiming the blast for the door. It struck the door and burst open, revealing three magicians locked in combat. Asra and an older woman flung spell after spell at a young man. A bolt of lightning hit Asra square in the chest. The woman fired back as Aisha screamed Asra’s name and ran to his side. 

A bolt of lightning streaked past the woman, who caught it with her magic and turned it back on the young man. He gave a snarling scream as it coursed through him.

And then the Magician was between them, redirecting another bolt. “Stop it, Alain!” they thundered.

As Asra sat up in his mother’s arms, Alain sneered, “He started it. He attacked me!”

“What did you do to deserve it?” the Magician challenged.

“He killed Thomas!” Asra shouted, the words a cry of pain. 

“Hush, Asra,” the Magician said over their shoulder, as Aisha helped him stand. “Stop this,” they repeated. “You know what I am speaking of.”

“I can’t,” Alain retorted. “I tried to resolve this peacefully. The Fool told me he’d continue to allow Thomas to use his body. Thomas’s fate is no one’s fault but his own. I’d have let him live here in peace if he’d helped me overcome the Fool. His fate is no one’s fault but his own!”

The Magician shook their head in disgust. “The Fool’s realm is the Fool’s business. You had no right to intervene.”

“Do you know what the place looked like before I got here?” Angrily, Alain strode forward and slammed his hand down on the crystal, bringing the images of the ruined landscape back up. The Magician merely stared at him, unmoved. “You expected me to just let the realm fall apart?” Alain demanded.

"It wasn’t your place to intervene. Stop this. You are doing more harm than good.”

For a moment, Alain looked helpless, almost contrite. Then his gaze fixed on Asra. “I’ll make a deal with you,” he said evenly. “Cease attacking me, and once I’ve taken the place of the Fool, I will help you take the place of the Magician.”

The Magician simply stared at him blankly as the woman spat out a derisive laugh and Asra snarled, “Go to hell.”

Alain shook his head almost sadly. “Then I’ll have to find someone else to do it.”

“You’re not going to replace the Fool, the Magician said, and for the first time in his life, Asra thought they sounded angry, “nor are you going to replace me. Don’t test me, Alain. You haven’t stood a chance against one Arcana. Don’t challenge me as well.”

“If you get in my way-“

“You’re injured from your fight with Asra and Briar. We are taking them, and we are leaving. Follow us, and you’ll have to face me. Am I clear?”

Alain stared at the Magician through narrowed eyes before turning away. The illusion of the Fool’s realm flickered out as Aisha and Briar helped Asra to stand. “Hold onto me,” the Magician said. Three sets of hands took hold of the Magician’s robes, and their magic wrapped around them.

The next thing any of them knew, they were back in the village. “Thank you,” Briar said, letting go of the Magician. "I don’t think he’d have hurt me but he was fighting to kill Asra.”

Asra turned away, face in his hands. "We have to find the Fool," he said in a rough voice.

Aisha reached for him. "Asra-"

"What are you doing here, Mom?"

He made no move to go to her, but nor did he pull away. Aisha put a hand on his arm. "The countess brought us out to Absecon after Faust told Chimes, Flamel, and Inanna that you were in trouble. We decided that someone should go in after you- and that distinction fell to me." He said nothing, didn't look at her, didn't move, and she said, "I'm so sorry about Thomas."

"He's going to pay for it," Asra said through gritted teeth. "I can't bring him back again. His spirit was killed. There's no way to recall him from that. He's completely gone." Asra took a deep breath, two, and then looked up. "Thank you," he managed, looking at the Magician. "I wouldn't have expected you to get involved."

"Yes, well, we tried to get the other Arcana involved," they replied, "and they all refused. Said it was mortal business while completely ignoring that it involved one of our own. And you saved the world once. I can't ask you to do that again alone."

"Wait." Asra peered at him. "This involves only one Arcana, and all Alain wants to do is take his place. What do you mean, saving the world?"

"There's a reason the Devil needed Thomas or Lucio's blood for his perverse ritual. The Fool is new beginnings, rebirth. That is profoundly powerful- dare I say the Fool is the most powerful of all of us. If Alain becomes the Fool, we have no guarantee he won't go rogue exactly as the Devil did, and the other Arcana have made it clear that they're not interested in intervening to save human beings- or even one of their own. Most of us declined to help with the Devil's plans because they simply didn't care. Only a handful rejected it because it was wrong. I'm not willing to place that much power in the hands of someone who got what he ostentensibly wanted- the Fool back in his realm- and is insisting on trying to replace him anyway."

The Magician's words sent a shiver down Aisha's spine. "So what now?"

"Now," the woman named Briar said, "we rest. Asra was bitten by a plague beetle when we were on our way to Alain's fortress and while Alain healed him as best he could, I'm not entirely convinced that Asra's health wasn't compromised. He needs sleep."

"A- plague beetle?" Aisha turned back to Asra, sweeping her magic over him. He looked like he wanted to object, but was too worn out to do so. She sensed no plague on him, and looked to Briar. "Are you sure it was a plague beetle?"

"It was definitely a plague beetle," Asra said. "If you'd seen me when it happened, you wouldn't be second-guessing it. But I feel fine, just a little tired and sore."

"All the more reason to get you inside and resting," Briar said. "You two are welcome in my home, but it's... a little small."

The Magician smiled. "I can see to myself, but I don't think you'll have a problem with getting room for Aisha."

Briar's eyes widened at the tinkle of magic she felt, then asked, bewildered, "What did you do?"

"Just made your life a bit easier. Nothing permanent, though. I shall leave the three of you to your rest." And then they were gone, fading away like a mirage.

Briar looked at Aisha. "Well. I don't know what they did, but I guess we'll find out soon enough. It's a pleasure to meet you, Aisha- although I wish it were in better circumstances. I'm this village's magician."

Briar extended a hand to Aisha, who took it warmly. "I'm one of the Countess of Vesuvia's court magicians- and Asra's mother."

"I can see the resemblance," Briar said, gaze flicking between Asra and Aisha. 

Aisha smiled. “Yes, well, he really looks like his father.”

Asra cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think Briar’s assessment was more accurate than I wanted to admit. I really need to sit down.”

Briar gave a worried noise and rushed to his side. She took the hand that Aisha didn’t have and helped guide Asra into her house.

She almost stopped short as they entered. The rooms were bigger, much more spacious than they had been before. “Did the Magician do this?” she breathed, leading Asra to the couch. 

Asra was grinning. “Probably. Don’t worry, it’s likely just as-needed.”

“Are you kidding? This is going to spoil me rotten. I’ll need to buy one of those big houses in Vesuvia after this,” she chuckled, as she and Aisha settled him on the couch. She sank onto the cushions next to him, head in her hands. “I don’t think I ever want to take Alain on head-on again,” she said, finally relaxing and allowing herself so show her exhaustion.

Aisha looked at them both, lavender eyes wide with concern. “Do you mind if I use your kitchen? You both look like you could use a good meal.”

Briar smiled tiredly. “If you’re offering to cook, sure. I’m afraid all I have is fish, though.”

“I can work with fish,” Aisha replied kindly. “You two just rest now. I’ll come get you when it’s ready.”

Aisha disappeared into the kitchen, and Briar and Asra sat together in exhausted, companionable silence for several minutes. Asra was the one who broke the silence. “Do you think Alain was telling the truth?” he asked softly. “That Thomas is dead?”

Briar nodded sadly. “I’m sorry. Alain is a deeply flawed person but he’s neither cruel nor a liar. I think Alain knew how badly finding that out would hurt you. He wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t true. I’m sorry, Asra.”

Asra dragged a hand down his face. “It just... doesn’t feel right. I have a- a magical bond with Thomas. I feel like I’d know if he was dead.”

“You haven’t seen him in five years. It’s not so surprising. You loved him, of course you don’t want to believe it. I don’t want to, either. But I genuinely don’t think he’d have said that if it wasn’t true.”

Asra took a deep breath before speaking again. “I want him to pay,” he said in a dark voice. “This is more than just him doing things he has no business doing now. He’s a murderer, and he will be treated as such.”

His tone dared her to protest that he’d acted in self-defense. She didn’t. “I understand. There’s no excuse for what he’s done. But Asra- we need to be careful. I didn’t think he was capable of killing someone. We have to assume he won’t have a problem with killing us.”

“Yes, understood and agreed. And with what the Magician told us- we have to stop him.” Asra took a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry.”

“For what, dear?”

“This is- was- Thomas’s fight. I don’t like that they got you all involved in it.”

“Thomas didn’t do this, Alain did. And even if Thomas did do this, that’s still nothing for you to apologize for. You don’t have to answer for him.”

Asra made a non-committal noise. Just then, Aisha called that dinner was ready. Briar patted Asra’s knee and stood. “Need help walking?” she asked.

“No. He didn’t hurt me that badly. Thanks, though.” Asra stood with a groan, and ambled towards the kitchen. Briar watched him thoughtfully for a moment before following behind.


	9. Chapter 9

Asra was sore and still exhausted the next day, but he refused to put off their next destination. Alain must’ve known that the Magician took them to the village; he wouldn’t wait around for him to follow them.

Both Aisha and Briar tried to convince him to wait a day, recover from his fight with Alain. “You fought him, too,” Asra retorted to Briar.

“He never struck me, just defended himself from my attacks. He focused all of his aggression on you.”

“I’m fine. We’re not going to wait around for him to come to the village and threaten them to get to us. We have to go.”

By then, the Magician had joined them. “There’s no guarantee that he won’t show up and take it out on the villagers when he discovers that we’re not here,” they said, “but Asra’s right. We don’t have the luxury of letting him rest. We need to find the Fool as quickly as possible, end this as quickly as possible.”

Asra gave the women a look, and Briar finally sighed and nodded. “Very well. If we must go, then we must go. Are we ready?”

“I suppose,” Aisha said, looking Asra over again. “I do wish we could let him rest, though.”

“I’m fine, Mom. We need to get this over with. Let’s go.”

Together, they started walking, heading in the opposite direction that they had when they were seeking Alain. They walked for what felt like hours before the scenery changed from rolling meadow to forest. “This looks awfully familiar,” Asra said nervously, as they picked their way down a winding trail. 

Briar looked around, then back down at her feet. “This does feel familiar, but I’m certain we’re going the right direction.”

“We are,” the Magician confirmed. “The Fool is definitely in this direction.”

“Can’t you take us directly there?” Briar asked.

The Magician shook their head. “I was able to reach you directly yesterday because of my particularly strong bond with Asra. I can sense the Fool, but his energy is scattered across the realm. I can’t pinpoint him.”

“As long as we don’t encounter more of those plague beetles,” Asra said with a shudder, “we should be fine. I hope, anyway.”

“Those plague beetles,” Briar said thoughtfully. “Alain said that he wished he knew where they were coming from. I don’t think they’re his doing.”

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” the Magician said. “I can’t tell you where they’re coming from- I’d have to have one to figure that out- but it’s possible that they’re a side-effect of what Alain is doing in this realm. The Fool will be able to offer more clarity in this matter, but I do know for certain that they must be dealt with. We can't risk them getting into the physical world- especially not as Asra and Briar have described them. They'll be uncontrollable. There aren't nearly enough magicians in the world to deal with an onslaught of puppy-sized plague beetles." They rubbed their chin. "When they were in the physical world, their presence was tied to Lucio's. Lucio is dead."

"Can you tell us _how_ they were tied to Lucio's existence?" Asra asked.

"One of the... entities... that he dealt with inflicted sickness on his parents to try to make it easier for him to kill them. He killed his father, but his mother was too strong, and he fled. His end of the deal was broken, and so the plague beetles- and the plague- followed him wherever he went as... punishment, I suppose you could say." The Magician shook their head. "Based on what Briarwood has said of Alain, I doubt that he made a deal with the same entity. These creatures may be a manifestation of the conflict between the Fool and Alain."

"Meaning?" Aisha prompted.

"Meaning if we take out Alain, they may disappear, or- if they've been transformed somehow- take on their original form. But that's all speculation. We should wait to see what the Fool has to say about the situation."

After that, they walked in silence until Briar got hungry, and they stopped for lunch in a clearing much like the one Briar and Asra had been attacked by the plague beetles in. Neither Asra nor Briar would settle down until the Magician reassured that there were none in the vincinity, and added that they would stand watch while the three of them ate and rested. Asra ruminated the entire time. Every time he thought of Thomas, tears stuck in his throat and refused to let him do anything until they passed. He just couldn't believe that Thomas was really gone. He expected that he'd feel like he'd lost something, part of himself, permanently. They shared his heart, after all. But Asra still felt whole. He thought about asking the Magician about it, but decided against it. If he tried thinking about Thomas and speaking at the same time, he'd cry. He couldn't cry yet, not with things as they were. He could mourn Thomas when the danger was past. He wasn't alone as he had been when Thomas died of the plague. He could cope this time. 

But he just couldn't dislodge the nagging feeling that there was nothing to cope with.

Once they'd eaten and rested, they started walking again. The forest gave way to rocky mountain, and the Magician led them to a pass through the steep cliffs. "We need to get to the top of that," the Magician said, as darkness began to fall. "I don't think we're going to make it tonight. I'll keep watch. The three of you try to get some sleep."

Asra eyed the rocky ground dubiously, then cast his magic outward. Moss sprang up from the rock of the pass, soft and springy. Aisha and Briar sat down on it, murmuring their thanks as they prepared for dinner.

Asra watched them talking between themselves, sharing magical tips and tricks, and wandered off to the edge of the cliff to look out on the landscape. He could see a fortress on the horizon, and exhaled slowly. It would take them _days_ to reach that at the rate they were going.

"You seem restless."

Asra almost jumped at the sound of his mentor's voice. He didn't, though, having just enough awareness to sense the Magician coming up behind him. "There's so much about this that doesn't make sense," he murmured, more to himself than to the Magician. 

"Like what? Perhaps I can put your mind at ease."

Two things came to mind for him. The plague beetles, and the weird ache Asra got when he thought of Thomas that wasn't quite grief. The Magician had already talked about the beetles extensively. Perhaps he'd be able to speak of Thomas, if he was very quiet and controlled about it. "I... I don't think Thomas is dead," he said finally.

The Magician was quiet, waiting for Asra to speak again. He didn't. "What makes you say that?" the Magician prompted, as gently as they could.

Asra swallowed hard. "You know of our connection. Our bond. It's deeper than emotion. He's- he's part of me. And the more I think about it, the more sure I am that I'd know if he was dead. It's just... something doesn't feel right."

"Do you think Alain lied to you?"

"No... No, I don't. I think he _thinks_ Thomas is dead. But that means that he's badly hurt. I have to find him."

The Magician inclined their head. "He's been helping the Fool with the situation here. If he's still alive, he'll be with the Fool." Asra was quiet, looking back over the landscape. The Magician watched him for a few moments, before saying, "Something has bothered me since Thomas's disappearance. Why did you never come to me, ask me where he was?"

Asra shook his head slowly. "I don't know myself. I thought about doing so every day for the first year or so. But I felt... betrayed. He _left_ me. And he told me not to follow him." He huffed out a bitter laugh. "I should have. I thought I was respecting his wishes but I was really afraid of what I'd find. If he's been here all this time, fighting a war I could've helped with... I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. All this time I felt betrayed by him, like he'd turned his back on me, but it was really me who turned his back on him. And now I might not be able to help him anymore."

"I thought you said you don't think he's dead." 

"I don't. I don't- I don't know." He grimaced. "I guess I'll find out when we reach the Fool, won't I?" He turned back to the Magician, his gaze searching. "How am I going to face him, if he's alive and I've left him to fend for himself against a powerful magician for five years?"

The Magician smiled. "Just as you're facing me now after five years. He told you not to follow him, did he not? You _have_ been respecting his wishes. I may not have known him as well as you did, but I do know that he wouldn't want to draw you into a fight as dangerous as this one."

"We faced the _Devil_ together. Surely he didn't think that he needed to face an ambitious magician alone."

Again, the Magician inclined his head. "He may have thought he could take him on himself. Or perhaps it was the Fool's directive that made him tell you not to follow him. But you're here now. He won't turn you away, if that's what you're afraid of."

"I'm not so sure about that." His shoulders slumped, and he covered his face with his hand.

The Magician watched him for a moment, then asked, "Tell me, Asra... do you still love him?"

"With all of my heart and soul." The answer came easily, without hesitation, and Asra looked up at him again. "I guess that's all that matters, isn't it? Regardless of what happened, why he left without telling me where he was going, why he told me not to follow him... I still love him. Unconditionally. That's never changed."

Nodding, the Magician stretched out a clawed hand. "I think you've figured out quite a bit in this conversation. Now, it's time to rest. I know you're still sore from your fight with Alain, and that moss you put down isn't going to do much to cushion you as you rest. You need as much as you can get. I plan to be at the Fool's fortress by this time tomorrow."

Asra gaped at him. "But it looks like it's days away!"

"You know everything isn't as it seems in the magical realms. Come now, come rest. You will feel better in the morning. I will keep watch."

Sighing, Asra took the Magician's hand and let them guide him to the others. His mother and Briar were already fast asleep on the moss, and Asra settle down next to Aisha with a sigh. He laid down, turning onto his side and wiggling to get comfortable. As his eyes slid shut, his last thought before sleep took him was the question of whether Thomas was alive or dead, and how he would hold Thomas and never let go again if he was alive.


	10. Chapter 10

The first thing Asra was aware of was Aisha and Briarwood talking softly between themselves. Something told Asra be still and listen for a while; he didn't open his eyes or move. 

“I don’t know. He loved Thomas with all of his being, but five years of separation is a lot.”

“Do you think he’s in the right frame of mind to continue this?”

“I don’t think he has a choice. He’s stuck here, and he’s the most powerful human magician we have. For what it’s worth, Asra knows how to keep his emotions out of things.”

“That’s not what I witnessed. When Alain told him that Thomas was dead, he- he snapped. You didn’t see him. I’m glad I wasn’t the target of his wrath.”

“You don’t think he would harm us, do you?”

“Not intentionally, no. He’s a sweetheart, from what I can tell. But, people need to grieve. All he’s doing is delaying his. His mind needs to be on stopping Alain, and-“

Asra had heard enough. He opened his eyes and sat up, and the two women halted their conversation, looking at him as though they were deer caught in a hunter’s sight. “How much of that did you hear?” Briar asked.

“Enough,” Asra said softly. “I- thank you for your concern, Briar, but it’s not necessary. I’m fine, I promise.” They both gave him deeply cynical looks, and Asra smiled sheepishly. “Maybe I’m not fine,” he admitted, “but I’m thinking clearly. I had a talk with the Magician. I’m... not convinced that Thomas is dead. I would know if he was.”

A look of pity crossed Briar’s face. “Oh, honey... you _are_ just delaying your grief. I honestly and truly don’t believe Alain would lie about something like that.”

“I don’t think he’s lying. I think he really thinks he killed him. But we didn’t see a body, or anything. And I am certain I’d know. I’m not just being a romantic. I have a tangible connection to him, and the more I think about it-“

“What kind of connection do you have with him?” Briar cut him off curiously. 

“I’d- rather not say.”

Briar looked like she wanted to question him further, when Aisha spoke up. “He does have such a connection to Thomas. Please believe us.”

Asra cringed. “You know?”

She nodded. “If not for our circumstances I’d have already given you a speech about dangerous magic.”

“You’re ten years too late for that, Mom.”

Briar’s curious gaze flicked between them. “Well, I suppose if you’re both this sure of it, I shouldn’t question it. I hope you’re right, Asra. If you’re sure you can continue, who am I to stop you?”

Asra nodded, yawning and stretching. “Where is the Magician?”

“They said something about bringing us breakfast,” Aisha said. “I tried to tell them that we packed enough for Briar to eat, at least, because we don’t need to- but they insisted that we should eat as well. They should be back at any moment.”

Asra stood and stretched, looking over to the cliff he’d stood by last night. “Mom,” he called out, “do you think you could do the giant construct spell with the four of us?”

“I- I don’t have the disks.”

“That idea is out, then.” Asra looked back to them. “The Magician said that they wanted to be at the Fool’s castle by tonight. I don’t see how we can do that on foot.”

“I’m sure they have a plan,” Aisha said. “Come sit with us, Asra.”

With nothing better to do, Asra obeyed. The three of them talked about magic, sharing tips and spells to help in day-to-day living. Briar was especially interested in Asra sigils and symbols for plant growth. "I mostly use them for succulents,” he said, “but I can’t imagine that they won’t work just as well for other plants.”

“They do work just as well for other plants,” Aisha put in. “Asra showed his father and I years ago and our rooms at the palace are veritable greenhouses. The Countess redid a wing of the palace so we could fill it with plants.”

Asra smiled. “You’ve done amazing with that, by the way. Lucio’s presence in that wing is almost completely gone. I’m glad that she let you do that.”

Aisha smiled back, but any conversation was cut off by the Magician fading into existence just outside of their circle. “I think you’ll all be satisfied with what I’ve brought us,” they announced, having a seat between Asra and Briar. They waved their hands and, in the center of their circle, a bowl of custard covered with fruit appeared, along with four spoons. "Where did you get this?" Briar asked, eyes widening and a grin spreading across her face. 

"Magic," the Magician said, picking up a spoon. "Eat. We'll need our strength for what's to come."

They ate together, enjoying the custard immensely. It reminded Asra of something he'd be able to magic up in his oasis, and wondered if the Magician hadn't simply gone to their own realm to magic this meal up. It was delicious, and Asra caught the feeling that it was magical, as well, restoring what vitality sleeping hadn't. He felt so much better after eating. "Thank you, Magician," Asra said, when he'd eaten his fill. "That wasn't just custard, was it?"

"It was just custard. Magic custard. Come now, Asra, you already know how I operate. Don't think I didn't notice that you all needed the help." The Magician stood, looking out over the cliff. The day was shaping up to be beautiful, and Asra couldn't wait to get going. "We need to get through the mountain range before I can take us further with magic, so we need to get moving. Is everyone ready to go?"

"As ready as we're going to be," Asra said, standing, helping his mother stand. Briar rose as well, and the moss they'd been sitting on sank back into the stone as Asra withdrew his magic from it. "Let's go."

The rest of the journey through the mountain range was unremarkable. They walked mostly in silence, saving their breath for the journey. When they emerged from the path into a rolling meadow, Asra closed his eyes, tilted his face to the sun, and stretched. "We've still got half the day," Asra said, looking back at his companions. "And what looks like a thousand miles.... Do you have a plan to get us to the Fool's castle, Magician?"

"I said I do, although it won't be pleasant." Their voice had a hint of apology to it. "Aisha, you know this spell. Asra asked you about it this morning. It's a wonderful spell, but I'm not restricted by the need to channel magic through a physical anchor. The four of us can do it with just ourselves."

Asra and Aisha shared a glance, and then Aisha nodded. "I think that would be lovely," she said, reaching for Asra's hand, and the Magician's. Briar took Asra and the Magician's other hands, and the Magician closed their eyes, raising their magical power. It was an exhilirating feeling; Asra had felt the Magician's magic growing up a number of times, and it was always an experience. He never got used to it. Slowly, the ground beneath them began to shift, lifting them up into the air on the back of a construct, one that looked like the beast that lived in the desert. 

At Asra's questioning look- the Magician could make this construct look like anything at all that they desired- the Magician shrugged. "I figured you'd appreciate a familiar form. Focus now. I do need help maintaining this spell."

At that, Asra focused entirely on the spell, breathing the sweet air deeply as they traveled, much faster than even the construct his parents could summon. The scenery flew past them, the air bracing and cool against his skin. Sadness overtook him as he thought about Thomas, how he would have loved this spell. Thomas had trouble with it when his parents showed it to them, but the Magician's magic was so much more powerful; he poured his magic into the spell, but not nearly as much as he'd had to give his parents' spell. He could actually enjoy the journey.

And the closer they got to the Fool's castle, the more he felt that he'd be able to share this with Thomas after all. More and more, he was convinced that he was right, that Alain only _thought_ that Thomas had perished. He was sure that Thomas would be there to greet them. They could talk about everything that had happened, and everything would be alright again. They'd take care of Alain together, and bring Thomas home.

The Magician noticed Asra's thoughtfulness and cleared their throat. "You look a little pensive, Asra. What's on your mind?"

"We're getting closer to Thomas. I can feel it."

"Don't get your hopes up, Asra. Please."

"You can't sense him. I can. He's alive, Magician."

The Magician gave him a look that was almost pitying. "I've seen you in denial before. That's the feeling I'm getting from you. A desperate hope that Alain was wrong. Hope, if you must- but be prepared to be wrong. That's all I'm asking of you."

Despite his sureity, Asra nodded. "I understand. I- I really think I'm right. But I understand what it looks like to people who who can't feel what I can. And I am prepared to be wrong. What's important right now is that we help the Fool get control of Alain. I haven't lost sight of that."

"Good. We are close now. Focus on the spell. The faster we reach the Fool, the better. Now that Alain knows that help has arrived, there's no telling what he will do or when he will do it."

"Understood."

From that point, Asra focused entirely on feeding the construct spell. The castle loomed larger and larger, until they were just outside of it. The Magician unraveled the construct spell, turning their eyes to the sky. "We made it before dusk. Excellent. We will have plenty of time to meet with the Fool and come up with a strategy before you rest."

Asra did his best to contain his anxiety and excitement. Thomas was here. He was certain of it. The four of them approached the castle's gates, and the Magician knocked firmly three times. The doors groaned to life, swinging in and letting them through. They crossed over the threshold and the door swung shut behind them. 

The entrance hall was dark and still. Asra wanted to call out for Thomas, but something was holding him back. He realized that it was the Magician, standing in front of them almost protectively. "Fool!" they called out into the darkness. "You know we're here! Come be hospitable, we've traveled quite a distance to help you!"

A laugh like a bell rang out all around them, and slowly, a figure took form in front of them- two forms. One distinctly human, the other a rabbit-eared figure. As they came into focus, Asra’s attention was on the human- and he was disappointed to see them clad completely in black, including a mask over their head and face. They seemed to not react at all to Asra’s presence, standing stoically beside the Fool. 

And yet Asra felt drawn to them. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked at the figure, feeling the connection with them as if he were feeling that connection for the first time. 

But it wasn’t the first time. He’d felt it many, many times- the last time being during the storm, five years ago, as he frantically chased Thomas through the streets of Vesuvia.

The Magician and the Fool were paying no attention to them. The Fool stepped forward, bowing at the hip. “Magician. I wasn’t expecting any of my brethren to come to my aid, especially after so long.”

“Alain got the wrong mortal involved in his nonsense.” The Magician extended a clawed hand to him, and he took it warmly. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m doing well, all things considered. This is my... assistant, Wren. They’re my representative mortal.” The black-clad figure bowed. 

“Fool,” Asra said, unable to contain himself any further, “there was another mortal with you, named Thomas. Alain... Alain told us he died. I have my doubts. What... what became of him?”

At that, Wren looked up at the Fool, as if questioning. The Fool looked back down at them, then said softly. “I’m afraid Thomas is... incapacitated.”

“Incapacitated how?”

“Its a long story. I’m just going to need you to trust me on this. He can’t join us.”

Hope welled up in Asra. “Can I see him?”

Again, Wren looked up at the Fool, and the Fool shook his head. “It’s best if you didn’t. He was... very badly hurt. It was all I could do to save him. We need to focus on getting Alain out of the realm.”

"What about Scout? Where is he?”

“Scouting,” the Fool said with a smile. “Scout is fine. He avoids fighting whenever he can. Come, let me make you comfortable, and we can discuss our next steps.”

* * *

Two hours later, Wren guided them to bedrooms where they could rest. Asra was the last one they handled; and Asra couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Wren,” he said, as the figure turned to walk away.

They stopped, but didn’t turn back, didn’t speak. They hadn’t in all the time they were with them, and it felt odd. “How did you come to be with the Fool?” Asra asked.

Wren shook their head, and didn’t answer. Asra tried again: “Did you know Thomas?” That got him a slight nod. “Is he here?”

Nothing. “Can you talk?”

“I don’t like to.” Their voice was both muffled and distorted, almost too quiet for Asra to hear. They sounded familiar, but-

“Take me to see Thomas.”

“I can’t.”

“Please. I’m desperate.”

Wren tensed, then their shoulders slumped. “You should get some rest. We’re going to be trying to get control of Alain tomorrow. You need your strength.”

“Wren! Don’t walk-“ But Wren was already walking away, no longer listening to him.

Asra watched them go, frustrated. Thomas was so close. He could feel him. He thought about going looking for him, but got the sinking feeling that would be a bad idea. Instead, he went into the room with a sigh, going to the bed and laying down to stare at the ceiling. After a few minutes, he closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He reached for his connection with Thomas and poured his emotions into it, his love and wish for Thomas to be well. Hopefully, wherever Thomas was, whatever condition he was in, he would feel it.

He nearly gasped as he felt a replying tug on their connection, a soothing sensation, telling him that all would be well. Asra smiled, comforted. He _was_ close, and he could sense him. It would only be a matter of time before they were reunited. He had to believe that. With that thought, he sank into sleep, determination licking through him. They would defeat Alain tomorrow, and then Thomas could come home, finally.


	11. Chapter 11

Asra woke the next morning, mostly refreshed. He no longer felt the effects of his brush with the plague beetles, and wondered how much of that he could thank Alain for. Alain would pay for what he did to Thomas- Thomas was alive, but badly hurt, and he still wanted to avenge him- but he had to admit, he didn't think Alain to be evil. Too ambitious for his own good, but not evil. Still, they couldn't leave him free after everything he had done.

He left his room, heading out back to the meeting room they'd discussed their plans in the night before. Everyone was already there, except for Wren. "Where's Wren?" he asked curiously, coming in to sit with everyone else. There was quite a spread of food for breakfast, and Asra helped himself to some type of fruit he'd never seen before. 

"Scout returned last night," The Fool answered. "They went with him to get Alain's attention and lure him to this side of the realm. From there we will engage him, and hopefully put an end to this."

"How do we know that Alain will take the bait?" Aisha asked.

"He'd still be worn out from our fight with him," Briar added.

The Fool shook his head. "He's stronger than you're giving him credit for. He will take the bait. He wants this over as much as I do- and now that he knows that I have reinforcements, he'll want to end it quickly. Between the seven of us, we should have little trouble taking him down."

"I hope you're right," Asra murmured, rolling his shoulders as he remembered the fight with him. He hadn't been thinking clearly at that point, but he well remembered the pain Alain inflicted. He was strong. He was certain that, going into it with a clear mind, he could do better; but he didn't want to underestimate him. 

The Magician sensed his hesitance. "All will be well, Asra. Alain may be powerful but he's still only human. We might not even need to fight him. There's a good chance that he'll realize that the odds are impossible and surrender." 

"I don't think that's likely," Briar said. "He's obstinate. The fact that he continued to pursue this ridiculousness after he succeeded in getting the Fool back in his realm is proof of that. He has his sights set on becoming the next Fool, and he will do whatever he needs to see it through. If that means killing us all, he'll do that." She grimaced. "If he can. He will certainly try."

The Magician gave her an inscrutable smile. "It would be counterproductive for him to attempt to kill me. He's doing this because he didn't like what became of the Fool's realm when he left. If he kills me he'll need to find another Magician, and Asra's already refused. He won't have the time to seek out someone in the physical realm. Upon an Arcana's death, the realm begins crumbling immediately. He'd have a matter of minutes to find someone to take my place."

"Is he capable of thinking that far ahead?" Aisha asked.

Briar nodded. "If I know him, he'll try to take us out first, disable the Magician, and kill the Fool. Once he's the new Fool, he'll be counting on the Magician being unwilling to fight him further."

"He'd be wrong," the Magician added. "If- and this is a big 'if'- he manages to do all of that, my goal will be to restrain _him_ , much like Asra and Thomas bound the Devil. He will not have the power he seeks. I will make sure of it. But that's an eventuality we needn't worry about, because he's not going to manage to accomplish all that he'd need to in order to present a threat to me. We _will_ stop him now."

The Fool nodded, and picked up a teacup. His furry ears twitched as he sipped. "We should get the signal from Wren and Scout at any moment, at this point."

"Shouldn't we be ready to go, in that case?" Asra asked, tensing up. He hated fighting, and the thought that he'd have to was finally catching up to him.

"We are ready, Asra. But there's no point in winding ourselves up and exhausting ourselves before he's even arrived."

As he spoke, his ears twitched again, and Asra felt a wave of magic, achingly familiar, settle over him. "And that's our signal," the Fool said, setting the teacup down and standing. "Everyone, gather around the Magician and I. We'll go straight to where Wren and Scout are."

All together, the three humans went to the Arcana, Asra and Aisha to the Magician and Briar to the Fool. "Ready?" the Magician prompted. At their collective nod, reality stretched, and then snapped back into place, and they were out in the field in front of the castle. Wren stood there, as Scout scurried behind the party and back to the castle. "Where is he?" the Magician asked. Wren pointed to a spot on the horizon, rapidly approaching them. 

"He’s fast,” Asra commented, casting a magical shield over the group. Aisha and Briar joined their magic to his, and Wren pulled a rod from a strap on their back. It extended into a staff, glittering with magical power.

“Yes, he is,” Briar agreed. “He practiced traveling by magic when he was wandering. He’s gotten quite good at it.”

Alain approached rapidly, skidding to a halt in front of them, kicking up dirt and grass. “This hardly seems fair,” he said with a frown.

“It isn’t about being fair anymore,” the Fool said evenly. “You’ve done all of us immense harm, and-“

“I’ve done nothing but trying to avoid doing harm! It’s not my fault you all keep getting in my-“

“None of this is necessary, Alain!”

“It was necessary. You saw what your realm looked like when you returned. How can you say that it wasn’t necessary?”

“The realm had Scout. With him here, it would have withstood one human lifetime with me away from it- as I tried to explain to you when you first forced me back!”

“That’s not good enough! Scout wasn’t staying in the realm- clearly!”

“He knew what he was doing! All of us here know what we’re doing except you. Stop this! You’ve done enough damage!”

“I’ve done nothing-“

“This is getting us nowhere,” the Magician said. "Surrender or we take you back to the physical realm by force. Your choice.”

Alain drew his sword. “I’m tired of these games. You aren’t taking me anywhere.”

“Very well,” the Fool said, and Asra gasped as he felt an immense power begin to swirl around them.

As Wren advanced, brandishing the staff, Briar said, “Don’t hurt him!”

“We’ll do our best,” the Magician answered, joining their power to the Fool’s. Alain stalked forward, the only sign of difficulty being the way his footsteps faltered slightly, and the grimace on his face. 

Wren approached Alain, focused entirely upon him, as if they were the only two people on the plain. Asra cast a magical shield around them, as Briar and Aisha joined their magic to the two Arcana’s, further slowing Alain’s approach. “I see you got a new pet to replace Thomas,” Alain said through clenched teeth. “What did the Fool promise you, hm? Power? Immortality?”

“My life,” Wren replied in a low growl. Their voice wasn’t distorted as it had been the previous night, and Asra’s heart leapt into his throat. They sounded like-

Wren didn’t give him time to finish that thought. With a yell, they launched themself at Alain, swinging their staff in a wide arc at Alain’s head. Alain, still caught in the Arcanas’ magic, was slow to respond, just barely dropping to the ground and rolling away. Wren stumbled, but caught their footing quickly, whipping around to face him again. 

Asra poured his magic into Wren’s weapon as they moved to strike again. This time, Alain brought his sword up to meet the stroke. Blue sparks flew from the weapons, Asra’s magic adding force to Wren’s blow. 

Wren bore down on Alain, fighting to drive him to his knees. Alain pushed back hard, and just as it looked like Wren had the upper hand, reversed his stroke, sending his blade arcing towards Wren’s unprotected side.

Asra lashed out, knocking Alain to the side. Again, Wren stumbled when the resistance to his attack disappeared. They caught their footing and glanced at Asra, shooting him a look that Asra couldn’t decipher from beneath their mask. Asra grimaced, making a mental note to apologize for that misstep once Alain was dealt with. 

Instead, he focused his magic and pointed as Alain scrambled to his feet. A bolt of energy struck him in the chest, crashing over him like a wave. 

Alain shouted in pain and desperation, turning his attention to Asra. He lurched towards him, swinging his sword almost blindly at Asra’s throat. Wren stepped in front of him, blocking Alain’s strike. He shoved him back as Asra prepared another spell. He channeled his magic into Wren’s weapon; it glowed blue, and Wren swung it hard at Alain’s abdomen. It made contact and Alain stumbled away, using magic to put some distance between him and the fighters.

Asra took the opportunity to look back at Aisha, Briar, and the two Arcana. The women seemed to be flagging; Asra wasn’t sure how much longer they’d be able to hold the force field slowing Alain down. The Arcana seemed fine, but losing the two magicians would certainly weaken the force field. “Wren!” Asra called. “We have to end this! Quickly!”

Wren nodded, and ran for Alain. Alain hastily brought up a force field of his own. Wren’s staff struck the field and bounced away harmlessly. They raised his free hand and magical force shot from it, striking the shield and burning it away. The shield gone, Wren lurched forward, swinging their weapon again.

Alain blocked, catching Wren’s staff on his sword and bearing down. Wren forced him back, and swung again. Desperate now, Alain threw several magical bolts at Wren. They dodged two, batted a third away with their staff. But Alain kept up the barrage. Asra moved to shield them, but it was too late. One of the bolts struck Wren in the face, shattering their mask. Asra watched in horror as they fell backwards, stunned, and his eyes widened as the shattered mask fell away, revealing a painfully familiar face.

Alain snarled when he saw his face. “What do I have to do to get rid of you?!” he screamed, enraged. He lifted his sword as the figure on the ground raised himself up on his elbows, struggling to regain lucidity. Asra darted forward, between them, magic crackling at his fingertips. He drove him back, throwing bolt after bolt of magic at him, and once there was a bit of distance between them, conjured an ice spear and lunged for him. Alain smacked the spear away, and Asra extended a hand. Hundreds of water droplets rose from the ground and solidified into razor-sharp icicles.

Alain barely had the time to erect another shield before Asra threw the shards at him; he was driven back by their force, and several broke through the shield and embedded in his clothes and skin. He dropped to one knee, snarling, as Asra approached. "He perished, did he?" Asra growled. "Why did you lie to me?"

"I- I didn't! I thought I finished him off!"

"Yet there he is! You've done nothing but cause trouble for everyone since you started this ridiculous crusade and this is where it ends." Asra approached him, grip firm on his ice spear, and Alain stood. He brandished his sword, taking several steps back, but Asra kept advancing on him. Alain looked around wildly, looking for something to distract Asra with, anything, but found nothing.

By then Wren- Thomas- had gotten to his feet and retrieved his staff, and was advancing with Asra. Alain grimaced, backed up further, out of the range of the forcefield restricting him. Asra and Thomas stopped at the edge of it, not daring to give up the advantage it gave them. Alain laughed sharply, hysterically, and raised his magic. Asra and Thomas braced themselves for an attack, but instead the magic swirled around Alain, kicking up wind, grass and dirt, and they shielded their eyes from flying dust. When they could see clearly again, Alain was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

The group stood there for several moments before the Arcana dropped their forcefield. "I don't sense Alain nearby anymore," the Fool said. "He's fled."

The atmosphere didn't lighten. Thomas turned to Asra, who was staring at him. The two of them looked at each other for a number of minutes before Thomas started, "Asra-"

"Don't." Asra turned away, heading back to the group. "That wiped me out and I'm sure it wiped him out as well. We need to go rest."

"Right," Aisha said, glancing between Asra and Thomas. "Were you hurt, Thomas?"

Thomas shook his head. "He stunned me but it didn't hurt. I- I'm sorry. I didn't want to deceive you, but we thought it would be best if Alain kept thinking I was dead. Asra, I wanted to-"

Asra cut him off, "Are we going to go back to the castle or not?"

"Asra..."

Aisha went to Thomas and put a hand on his shoulder. "It would be best for all of us to go get some rest. The shield took a lot out of Briar and I, and that hit you took didn’t look pleasant. We’ll all feel better and be able to talk about what happened if we get some food and rest.”

Asra shot Aisha a glance like she’d done him a small betrayal. Before anyone else said anything, the Magician said hastily, “We all need rest, Thomas. I promise you Asra will be there in the morning, probably more willing to hear you out.”

Thomas’s shoulders slumped, and he finally nodded. “We still have enough energy to get us back to the castle,” the Fool said. “Hang on.”

* * *

Asra was silent through their meal, and he kept to himself during the rest of the day, nursing his wounds. He’d asked Thomas directly about him and he’d lied to him about who he was. He knew he’d be able to forgive that. He had acted to defend Thomas on instinct, and the joy he’d felt when he was told Thomas was alive had been real. But right now, he was hurt. Thomas himself had let Asra believe he was incapacitated, let Asra worry. 

He was in his room, thinking about everything, when there was a soft knock on it. He debated briefly pretending to be asleep before he stood and answered it. 

No one was there. He poked his head out of the door, looking up and down the hallway, before he saw him walking away. “Thomas,” he called out softly. 

Thomas halted, turned slowly. “I thought you were asleep when you didn’t answer right away,” he said, his voice equally soft.

“I was thinking about letting whoever it was think I was asleep. I’m glad I didn’t. Come back.” Thomas obeyed, and Asra let him in the room and closed the door behind them. 

They stood there, awkwardly, for longer than was necessary. Asra broke the silence first. “I thought something horrific had happened to you, and-“ Thomas swept his hand out in a questioning gesture, and Asra gave him a deeply cynical look. “You’re going to answer for that too, I promise you. But for right now I want to know why you lied to me when I directly asked you about yourself.”

Thomas was quiet for a moment before answering. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you- so, so much- I wanted to come find you when I felt your presence in the realm. But Alain thought I was dead- and I was very badly injured. Alain was targeting me to try to force the Fool to stop fighting. The longer Alain thought I was really dead, the better.”

“That doesn’t explain why you lied to _me._ ”

Thomas sighed. “That was the Fool’s directive, not mine. He thought that telling you who I was- even that I was alright- would distract you, at best, make you slip up and indicate to Alain that I survived at worst.”

“He knows you’re alive now. That didn’t last very long, did it?”

“We had no way of knowing Alain would shatter my mask,” Thomas retorted sourly. 

“Fair enough,” Asra admitted softly. “If I’m honest with myself, I have to admit that you would’ve been right. Knowing you were fighting next to me would’ve distracted me horribly.”

Thomas inclined his head in acknowledgment. “As for this situation itself... I had no choice. The Fool was magically compelling me to act that night. I told you not to follow me because I didn’t know what was going on, didn’t know if you even could follow me- and you could have, so why didn’t you? I don’t know how long it’s been, but it felt like a lifetime of wishing you were with me- and you never came.”

Asra’s eyes widened, and then he looked away. “You told me not to follow you,” he murmured.

“Yes, while the storm was happening. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“I didn’t know where you had gone!”

“Do you not think the Magician would have told you?” Thomas demanded.

"I was angry and hurt,” Asra said finally, almost angrily. “You just disappeared during a magical storm when you told me not to follow you, and you never came back! I felt abandoned. I went chasing after you once, I couldn’t do it again!”

Thomas was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “You understand that I literally didn’t have a choice, right? The Fool was taking back his body. It was either come to this realm, or vanish.”

“I understand that,” Asra answered. “It doesn’t make it easier to deal with.”

They were both quiet for a moment, letting the silence between them settle. “I’m sorry you felt abandoned,” Thomas said finally. “There was nothing I could’ve done to stop it, but I never wanted to hurt you.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Asra said quietly. “You didn’t abandon me, no matter how it felt. I abandoned you. If I had come sooner...”

“You didn’t. There’s no point in going over the what-ifs now. You’re here. That’s what matters.” Thomas crossed the distance between them and caressed Asra’s face tenderly. Asra leaned into the touch as Thomas said, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Asra leaned in and kissed him gently. Thomas kissed back, gently at first, but he didn't let go, let the kiss deepen, become heated and passionate. Asra felt every movement against his body as a spark of desire, but pulled away, a bit breathless. "Is this okay?" he asked softly. "I know we're both hurting, and-"

"It's okay," Thomas cut him off soothingly. "I missed you so much. I _want_ you. Do- do you not-"

Asra cut that off with another kiss. Thomas melted against him, and Asra guided them back to his bed, lips on Thomas's, hands on his body the whole time.

* * *

For the first time in five years, Asra slept well. He woke up first, feeling Thomas's head on his chest and his arms around his body, and looked down on him, so full of love it was almost too much. He bent and kissed his head, stroking his hair. Thomas murmured indistinctly in his sleep and cuddled closer, and Asra smiled. He knew they had a lot of work to do, but right now, laying here with Thomas like this... he thought he'd never get to feel this again, and it was heaven. 

Thomas stirred after a few minutes and looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "You're still here," Thomas whispered.

Asra looked down at him, amused. "Where would I go?"

"I don't- I thought- I was scared that maybe you coming back to me had just been a dream. Something my imagination came up with when I was hurt."

Asra's heart ached at that. He kissed his forehead. "No. I'm real. And Alain is never going to hurt you again. I promise."

Thomas heaved a sigh from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. "You can't control that, but thank you. I already feel safer with you here."

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

"You're here now. That's all that matters to me." Thomas leaned up and kissed him. Asra caught him before he pulled away, kissing him harder, running his hands through his hair. Thomas made a little noise in the back of his throat, moving to give Asra a better angle for the kiss.

Then the door opened, and Thomas jerked away with a yelp. As he turned to see who the intruder was, Asra grinned lazily. "Good morning, Magician."

The Arcana's eyebrows shot up, although a playful smile tugged at their lips as Thomas tried to pull the covers up to his chin. "Good morning. I'm pleased to see that you seem to have made amends."

"We still have a lot to talk about, but yes. Although we were in the middle of something..."

"Indeed you were, but unfortunately that has to wait." The Magician's playful voice dropped to a more serious tone. "Scout spent the night... scouting... and has just returned. He's found a nest of plague beetles a distance away. We want to wipe them out before they have a chance to get to the village."

Much to Thomas's horror, Asra rose, completely naked, and started dressing as if there wasn't a third person in the room. "Do we know where the things are coming from yet?"

"Not yet, although the Fool and I have our suspicions."

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense. A guess is better than nothing at this point."

The Magician inclined their head. "The Fool believes that Alain may have made a deal with the same being that caused the plague in Vesuvia, erroneously believing that this being could weaken the Fool- or Thomas. We don't know what Alain could have offered him, but it can't be good. The beetles have been controllable until now, but they started as a single, small swarm with Lucio and grew to be uncontrollable. We need to find a way to break that deal."

"Great. Fantastic." Asra sighed, now fully dressed. "As if Alain himself wasn't a big enough problem. What being is this?"

"I believe you knew him as Vlastomil."

" _Vlastomil_ is involved in this?"

"Only perhipherally. If we can make it obvious that Alain is never going to make good on his deal, we might be able to prevent the beetles from making it back to Vesuvia."

Asra took a deep breath. "Let me communicate with Faust. She should be able to get Flamel's attention- then Dad can tell Nadia that Vlastomil needs to be interrogated."

"Sounds like a plan. It looks like I'm making Thomas uncomfortable, so I shall take my leave of you now. See you in the common room for breakfast." 

The Magician turned and closed the door behind themself, and Thomas slumped against the pillows. "How were you not ridiculously embarassed?" he asked, sounding a bit overwhelmed.

"The Magician has been a kind of guardian to me, since my parents' disappearance when I was a child. They've seen me naked before. Sorry they made you uncomfortable, though."

“It’s alright. I guess I should’ve expected the Magician to be cavalier about these things.” Thomas threw aside the covers and stood, stretching. “Do you want me to watch over you while you contact Faust?”

“It’s already done,” Asra said, half-lidded gaze dragging up and down Thomas’s body. “I can’t believe I’m saying this instead of taking my clothes off again, but you should get dressed. The Magician will be telling the others that we’re on our way to breakfast.”

Thomas embraced him, pressing his body against Asra’s. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to spend a little more time with me? There’s so much time to make time make up...”

Asra gave him a smirk, kissing him. “Maybe just a few more minutes...”


	13. Chapter 13

Nadia was exhausted by the time they arrived in Vesuvia, but she couldn’t rest. Not until she’d spoken to the former courtiers. She turned to Muriel as they rode their horses up the bridge leading to the palace. “Do you want to rest when we get inside? It’s been a long ride.”

Muriel shook his head. “I want to stay with you. If Vlastomil made a deal with someone, that- that means they’re still dangerous. I don’t want you to face that alone.”

“I promise you I can handle myself. And yet I can’t say your company would be unwelcome. I do not relish the thought of speaking to these people again.” 

They brought the horses around to the stables and dismounted. Nadia gave the stablehand instructions, stretching her legs and back, as the chamberlain dashed up to them. “My lady! Has the situation in Absecon been resolved?”

“Unfortunately not, but we are a step closer. Find Consul Valerius and Portia and tell them that I request their presence in the dungeons.”

“Yes, my lady.” 

The chamberlain hurried off, and Nadia gestured for Muriel to follow her. “Understand that I don’t expect you to intimidate them,” she said softly. “Your presence will purely be observational.”

Muriel nodded. “I don’t think I could intimidate them if I tried.”

Nadia smiled at him. “You are quite gentle, I admit that. And I think the courtiers know that by now. With the exception of Vulgora. I think they’re attached to their notions of you.”

Muriel frowned, but said nothing as they headed into the palace. Valerius and Portia were waiting for them just inside. “What’s going on?” Valerius demanded. “What’s become of the witch?”

Muriel growled, low and soft, and Nadia put a hand on his arm. “Asra is still stuck in the magical realms,” Nadia answered, “but he has relayed information to us that is... disturbing, about Vlastomil. We need to speak with him, possibly the rest of the courtiers. I want you to be present for it.”

Valerius inclined his head, as Portia said, “What about me, milady?”

“You will join us as well. I may want to bring you with us back to the village. If Asra is right, we may need all the magicians we can get.”

Portia nodded, and the four of them headed through the palace, down the stairs to the dungeon, and swept through the cells, looking for Vlastomil’s. Nadia hadn’t been down there since the courtiers were arrested, and she didn’t want to see them. They had betrayed her. She wanted nothing to do with them.

Vlastomil was sitting in the back of his cell, reading a book. Nadia squinted at the title, then suppressed a snort. Of course he would be reading about worms. She cleared her throat, and he looked up. “Vlastomil.”

He frowned. “Countess. So good of you to grace me with your presence. Have you come to apologize for locking me in this dank dungeon, away from my worms?”

“No.”

“Then I have nothing to say to you.”

With that, Vlastomil looked at his book again. Nadia lowered her voice, so that only the people around her could hear. “I know you’re working with Alain.”

Vlastomil put his book down slowly. "What makes you think I even know who you're rambling about?" 

"They've reported plague beetles in the Fool's Realm," Nadia informed him coldly, "and Asra has it from the Magician themself that you've made a deal with him. I want to know what it's for."

Vlastomil's lip curled derisively. "Nothing escapes you, does it? Very well. There's nothing you can do about it anyway. I _do_ have a deal with Alain. I gave him the ability to weaken that nasty busybody Thomas in return for helping us escape, once he's taken the Fool's place."

Nadia gripped the bars of the cell, white-knuckled. "I will _never_ let that happen," she replied. "You've caused me no end of trouble and you can't be trusted. The simple fact that you're a being who can engage in magical deals, and you spent the last two decades letting me believe that you're _human-"_

 _"_ I'm not the only one." He smiled at her, deeply unpleasant. "Ask Vulgora. Ask Valdemar. They're as magical as I am."

Valerius narrowed his eyes at him. "And Volta?" he demanded.

"Oh, she's a demon as well, but all she's ever wanted was to be left alone."

"Excuse us." Valerius touched Nadia's shoulder, jerking his head to the side. Nadia, Portia, and Muriel followed him down the hall. "Do you believe him?" Valerius asked her.

"Yes," Nadia answered immediately. "Asra already told us- through his and Salim's familiars- that Vlastomil is exactly what he's claiming he is. The problem is deciding what to do about him- about all of them. They can't stay here when the cells negating magic clearly aren't working. But I don't have a solution, other than killing them- and that's off the table. I won't do that."

Portia was listening intently. When Nadia finished, she said, "Vlastomil called himself and the others 'demons', right?" Her three companions nodded, and she took a deep breath. "I may not be as talented or powerful as Asra and his parents, but I'm pretty competent. Let me do some research. I may be able to figure out how to get them to go away, at least.”

Nadia nodded slowly. “I still want you to join Asra and Aisha, if you can, but- if you can figure out how to end this ridiculous feud with the former courtiers once and for all, I would be deeply appreciative.”

Portia nodded, her gaze flicking back and forth between Nadia and Muriel. “You two look utterly exhausted. Go rest. I’ll go to the library and start searching for information.”

“Yes. Thank you, Portia.”

“What of me?” Valerius asked.

“Interview the others and report your findings to Portia. Wake me when you have a plan, if I’m not up already.” Valerius’s lip curled slightly in distaste, but he nodded, and Nadia smiled at Muriel. “Well, let’s get some rest, Muriel.”

Muriel nodded and followed Nadia out of the dungeons. He was quiet until they were back in the palace proper. “Do you really think Portia will be able to force them out?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know what a demon is. But she’s right, she’s competent, and I believe in her.” She chewed a thumbnail. “I just wish Asra were here. He’d definitely know what to do.”

"Asra and his parents have been teaching Portia for years now. She’s capable of finding the solution to this.”

By then they had reached the guest wing, and Nadia turned to Muriel, smiling softly. “You’ve come such a long way from when we first met,” she said affectionately. 

Muriel’s face flushed. "No, I haven't! Good night!" And then he hurried down the hallway, leaving Nadia chuckling as she turned to head to her chambers.

* * *

Nadia woke on her own; it was midday. She didn't think she'd had enough sleep, but she felt refreshed, and so she got up, took a quick shower, and changed into clean clothes for the day. That done, she headed for the library.

Portia and Valerius sat together, hunched over a book, a pad of paper next to Portia. She looked up as the door opened and set down her pen, rubbing her eyes. "Good afternoon, milady," she said, sounding exhausted.

"Good afternoon. Have you made much progress?"

“Well, I know that demons are bound to deals they make,” Portia said, rubbing her temples. “They _have to_ honor their end of the bargain. They have no choice. Theoretically, if we made a deal with them that they would leave this world for good, they’d have to go. I just... don’t know what bargain could possibly make them agree to that.”

Valerius spoke up. “Perhaps... a wager would entice them to agree.”

“A wager? What do you mean?”

“If Vlastomil speaks the truth, and Alain has harmed Thomas, Asra will be out for blood. I’ve never seen him genuinely angry, and for that I’m grateful. I may not like the witch but I can respect his power.” Valerius steepled his fingers, leaning forward. “Vlastomil obviously believes Alain will succeed in his endeavors. Wager him- and the others- that Alain will win. If he doesn’t, they must leave.”

“And what will we be wagering?” Nadia prompted, one eyebrow arched delicately.

“Their freedom.”

“Vlastomil already has his deal with Alain for that.”

“But the others don’t.”

Portia looked from Nadia to Valerius and back. “It could work,” she said. “I’m confident that Asra will win. The only thing...” She chewed her lip, clearly torn about something.

“Yes? What is it?” Nadia prompted.

“We’ll have a really hard time with it if Asra is anything but decisively victorious. We need to be absolutely clear what we mean by Asra winning.”

Nadia nodded. “I can do that. Come. It’s time we spoke to them again.”

Portia and Valerius stood, and followed her out of the library and through the palace. Vlastomil, Vulgora, And Valdemar were talking amongst themselves, shouting from cell to cell, about Alain. Nadia gave the guard a quizzical look. “I’ve told them to settle down a number of times, milady,” the guard said, flushing beneath his helmet. “Vulgora asked what I was going to do about it, and continued the conversation.”

“Let them talk,” Valerius said scornfully. “We shall be free of them soon.”

“What? What do you-“

“We have a plan,” Nadia said with a tight smile. She led her companions deeper into the dungeons, calling out, “Excuse me! What is all this commotion about?”

Vulgora was hanging off the bars of their cell. “Vlastomil is just telling us how he’s gonna bust us out of this hellhole once his friend has the power of the Fool.”

Nadia’s eyebrows shot up. “He’s your friend now, Vlastomil?”

“Oh, you know. After a fashion,” Vlastomil said, waving a hand dismissively. “Why are you back?”

“I wish to make a deal with you. All of you,” she said, looking around at the four demons. She noted with interest that Volta, who had been slumped over in her cell, back turned to them, straightened slightly.

Valdemar was the one who addressed her. “Intriguing. What is this deal you wish to make?”

“As you’re already aware, Asra has gone to the Fool’s realm to put a stop to Alain’s foolishness. I propose that, if Asra successfully defeats him, either bringing him back in chains or ending his life, you four leave this realm. Forever.”

The three courtiers looked at each other, interested. “And if he fails?” Valdemar prompted, their voice soft, cold, and almost gentle.

Nadia took a deep breath. “If he fails,” she answered, “I will give you Vesuvia.”


	14. Chapter 14

The group stood on the back of the construct, the two Arcana feeding the spell by themselves. They were mostly silent; Asra and Thomas stood together, holding hands, as Aisha and Briar watched the scenery fly by them. 

Aisha was the one who broke the silence. “Is it a good idea to bring Thomas with us? Alain sounded like he really wanted him dead, and that wasn’t a light blow Thomas took.”

“I’m fine,” Thomas reassured her. “And I’m not afraid of Alain.”

At that, Asra spoke up. “You disguised yourself and wouldn’t even tell me who you were to keep Alain from finding out,” he said doubtfully. “If that’s not fear, what is it?”

“Caution,” the Fool answered. “I was neither lying nor exaggerating when I told you Alain had hurt Thomas very badly. Although all the caution in the world did him no good when he insisted on fighting Alain anyway.”

Thomas grinned sheepishly. “I couldn’t let Asra fight alone. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. I allowed it, after all.”

They were quiet again. Asra said, after a few moments of silence, “What do you plan to do when all of this is over, Fool?”

“For one, give Thomas his body back,” the Fool answered. "Alain’s complaint, while he’s going about dealing with it in the wrong way, is valid. Thomas and I have agreed that he will return to the realm every now and then to ensure that it doesn’t fall apart, as it did before he was aware of what he is.”

“That seems fair enough- wait, he has to bring his body back here?”

“Afraid so.”

Asra sighed. “I don’t like this.”

“I promise the realm is safe.”

"There are plague beetles here." Asra's voice was dry as a desert wind.

The Fool sighed. "That is a side effect of Alain's deal with the demon. Remove that, and the plague beetles will go away. You said you communicated to your friends in the physical realm that this is going on, did you not?"

"I did, but-"

"Trust that they'll figure it out. You got the better of this demon before, you can do it again."

"I just wish there was a way for _me_ to deal with it."

"You are one person, Asra," Briar said. "You're expecting to carry the weight of the world on your shoulder. You can't do that. We need you to be here, with us. From what you've told me of your friends in Vesuvia, they're as capable as you are. Let them help."

Asra's face flushed and he released Thomas's hand to slip his arm around his waist, burying his face in his shoulder. Thomas brought his hand up to stroke his hair, and murmured sadly, "You've changed."

"So have you." Asra winced at the accusatory note in his voice. "I didn't mean to sound so harsh."

"It's okay. You're right." Thomas sighed and moved to embrace him fully. 

Aisha and Briar watched this in sympathy for a moment, before turning to the Arcana again. "So what's the plan when we get to Alain?" Briar asked.

"We end this." The Fool was determined. "We cannot keep this up for much longer. We're lucky help came when it did. If Thomas and I were left to fight alone for much longer, we'd have fallen to him. Especially as he now has an entire village feeding him."

"I was thinking about that," Aisha said. "Do you think it's possible for us to send the village back before we try to take him on? I think it would be unwise to face him if we couldn't actually stop him with two Arcana and four magicians, as things stand now."

The Magician tilted their head in thought. "I hadn't considered that we may be able to break Alain's hold on the village without defeating him, but it might be worth our while to attempt it. For Asra and Aisha's sake, as well. I can feel his body degrading. Someone's keeping him- and Aisha- alive, but they're going to begin to have trouble doing so very soon. If we can get Asra and Aisha back to the physical world so they can eat and hydrate themselves..."

Thomas drew away from Asra slightly and put two fingers under his chin, forcing him to look up. "How are you feeling?" Thomas asked.

Asra exhaled sharply. "To tell the truth? Exhausted. The Magician is right. My physical condition is starting to take a toll on my condition here. I don't know that I'll be much help as things stand now."

"That's a problem," the Fool said softly. "Let's make a detour to the village and see if we can't release the hold on it. We're close by at this point."

The rest of the trip was made in silence; when they were within a mile of the village, the Arcana released the construct spell, and they proceeded on foot. Briar led the way, with the Arcana bringing up the rear. Asra recognized Ezra and the other fisherman as they came into the village proper; Ezra called out to Briar and dashed up to them, then skidded to a startled halt when he saw the Arcana. "What the-?!"

"Relax, it's okay," Briar said firmly, as Ezra's eyes scanned the group. "There are some unfamiliar faces here, I know. This is Aisha, Asra's mother, and Thomas, someone who's been trapped here as well. Both of them are magicians. And then there's the Magician-" she pointed. The Magician bowed. "-and the Fool. We're actually currently in the Fool's realm."

"What is this? What- what are they?" 

Asra and the Magician exchanged a look. "We are known as Arcana," the Magician said.

Ezra's mouth dropped open. "Arcana. Like Briarwood's playing cards?"

Thomas suppressed a snort of a laugh as Briar replied, exasperated, "For the final time, Ezra, they're not playing cards!"

"I didn't know you had skill in the Arcana," Asra said with a lazy grin at her.

Briar huffed a chuckle. "It never came up. Why do you think I was unsurprised by either of their appearances?"

"That's a point."

"We mean you no harm," the Fool said. "Quite the opposite, in fact. We're going to try to send you back."

By then, they had drawn a crowd, and a murmur rippled through it. "I don't want to go back!" a child yelled out, quickly hushed by their mother.

The Magician raised an eyebrow at the crowd. "Is that a common sentiment?"

Briar sighed. "It's... complicated. Some of the villagers are happy here, say that food and water is plentiful- and it is, I will admit that. Those are luxuries we don't always have in the physical realm. But most of the villagers understand that this place is a prison, and want to go home."

They all exchanged looks. "Maybe if we tell them what's going on, it'll change their mind," Thomas said.

"Is that wise?" Aisha asked. "How much do they already know, Briar?"

"Not much, I will admit that," Briar answered. "I didn't want to scare them, but... maybe they need to be scared."

The woman who shushed her child called out, bewildered, "Scared of what?"

Briar cleared her throat. "This is all things I've learned since Asra has been here," she answered, raising her voice to be heard by everyone. She explained what they had learned, why they were in the magical realms, why they were with two Arcana. "Alain means to use you all to kill the Fool, and take his place," she finished. The village square had gone deathly quiet. "He's gone to great lengths- _evil_ lengths- to accomplish this goal. This is not a man we want to have this kind of power."

One of the villagers spoke up. "I dunno, Briar, this is... kind of hard to swallow. You practically raised that boy, and you're saying these things about him?"

Briar winced. "I did, and I am. I've _watched_ him try to kill someone- Thomas. I believe the Magician and Fool when they tell me he made a deal with a demon to do Thomas harm. I don't know where I went wrong, but I did, and now you're being used for evil ends. The best thing you can do to help is deny Alain that use.”

A murmur swept through the crowd. Ezra stepped up next to Briar, turning back to the village. “I, for one, refuse to be used. I say we go home. What’s to stop Alain from becoming a despot once he gets what he wants? Absecon was founded two generations ago because our forebears didn’t want to live under the Vesuvian Count anymore. The Countess has made it clear that Vesuvia welcomes all who would come, and if any of us was willing to live under a single person’s rule, they’re welcome to return to Vesuvia. The fact is that we’d all rather face occasional poverty than live under Countess Nadia, a woman who has more than proven her ability to care for her people. And yet, Alain expects us to submit to _him?_ Oh no. I, for one, refuse, and I suggest all of you think long and hard about what Alain is asking us to be an accomplice to.”

There was another wave of murmuring, and one of the women called out, “I say we go back! I don’t like being imprisoned for no reason- and as nice as this place is, that’s exactly what Alain is doing.”

“Hear hear!” came another voice, from the other side of the village square. 

“What of those of us who wish to stay and fight?” a young woman called out.

Asra was the one who answered her. “Unless you’re a magician of considerable skill, that would be unwise. Alain was able to resist all of us- and the Arcana are immensely powerful. I can’t force any of you to go back, but I’d be much more relieved if you would.”

Asra’s answer seemed to satisfy her, albeit grudgingly. Finally, it seemed that most of the village was on board with being sent back, if not everyone. The Magician turned to the Fool. “Alright, that’s one obstacle down,” they said. “Now, how are we going to break Alain’s spell over this place?”

“Alain is hurt, nursing his wounds,” the Fool replied. “It should be a simple matter of overpowering his wards holding the people here, shouldn’t it?”

“Brute force? Not usually my style, but I suppose it has its place. Asra, Briar, Aisha, stand with the villagers. Come back once you’ve regained your strength, and we will end this.”

Asra nodded, reluctantly letting go of Thomas to follow Briar and Aisha into the crowd. “I will come back for you,” Asra said, meeting Thomas’s eyes.

Thomas smiled. “I know you will. I always have known.”

“Thomas,” the Fool said, as he and the Magician began to focus their magic, “help us.”

“Yes, what do you need me to do?”

Asra closed his eyes, listening to the Fool’s instruction. He reached out with his magical senses, seeking the magic anchoring everyone to the realm. He found it in what felt like a giant bubble, massive, stretching out in every direction for miles. He found Thomas’s magic, a bright rainbow in the darkness Alain was inflicting on these people, and focused his own on the same single point, sensing the Fool and the Magician’s magic there, too. 

The sky darkened, and a high-pitched ringing began to resound in the air. He resisted the urge to cover his ears, gritting his teeth against the pain in his head, and pressed harder. The ringing rose in pitch until cracks appeared in the sky, and the magic shield shattered with a brilliant, blinding flash of light. 

When Asra could see again, he was staring at the ceiling, in a soft bed, and he felt _weak._ “Asra!” exclaimed a familiar voice, and Julian was by his side in a flash, even as his mother groaned and opened her eyes beside him. “How do you feel? Here, drink this.” Without giving him a chance to answer, Julian lifted his head with one hand and tilted a cup to his lips with the other. Tasting nothing but water, Asra drank greedily, horrifically thirsty. 

Once the cup was drained, Julian eased him back down on the pillow, as Aisha said, “The rest of the village should’ve come with us.”

“Oh?” Julian stood and rushed out the door. Asra and Aisha exchanged a glance, as Julian’s voice rose out in the hallway, muffled. Asra heard his father call back, footsteps on the stairs, and three sets of feet hurrying back to the bedroom. Julian burst back into the room, Salim and Briar hot on his tail. 

“It worked!” Briar exclaimed, going to the bedside and throwing her arms around Asra and Aisha. “We’re home!”

Asra smiled and patted Briar’s back. “I think I need to eat something,” he said weakly. “I’m so hungry...”

Aisha nodded her agreement as Julian brought her a cup of water. Briar commented that it was lucky they’d chosen her home as their base, that she would cook for them all, and hurried back down the stairs. “Any news from Nadia?” Aisha asked. 

Salim shook his head. “None so far. She left with Muriel to head back to Vesuvia two days ago. I expected them to be back by now. I hope all is well.”

“Unfortunately all isn’t well in the Fool’s realm.” Quickly, Asra told them of the plan for Asra and Aisha to rest and recover their strength, then go back. “The Fool, the Magician, and Thomas are still there, but I don’t want to leave them alone for long.”

“You need to eat and hydrate before you go back,” Julian said, almost stern. “It’s been nearly a week.”

Asra blanched, but nodded. “Right. That was the plan when they sent me and Mom home. Briar will come back with us.” He gazed thoughtfully at Salim, then said, “I would appreciate it if you came, too. We destroyed the spell keeping people in the realm; you’d be able to come and go as you pleased. But it will be dangerous.”

"I can’t let my beloved child and wife face danger alone,” Salim answered, brushing a curl out of Asra’s eyes.

“Thank you, my love,” Aisha said, sitting up and reaching across them to hold Salim’s hand. She looked down at Asra. “We’ll get you food quickly, and then you can rest and we’ll go back to the realms when you’re stronger.”

“We can’t wait for me to completely regain my strength,” Asra said.

“We can wait a night, at least.” Salim stood. “I’ll bring you food when it’s done. Rest now.”


	15. Chapter 15

The courtiers stared at Nadia. Vlastomil was the one who spoke. “Oh dear dear dear. You shouldn’t bargain with things you don’t want to lose, Countess.”

"I am confident that I will lose nothing,” Nadia replied evenly. “Do we have a deal?”

Again, the three courtiers looked at each other. Vulgora chortled, “I’m game if she is. Think about what it would mean if we had control of Vesuvia. I could raise an army, we could conquer everything from here to Prakra!”

“I would get to see my worms again!” Vlastomil exclaimed.

Valdemar laughed a dark, hissing laugh. “Very well. We agree to your-“

“I don’t!”

Everyone’s attention was pulled to Volta. She stood at her cell's bars, gripping them tightly. "I don't want to leave this realm!" she cried, "and I don't want Vesuvia! All I've ever wanted was friends who care for me, and those three ruined that for me, and now they're going to take me away from this realm? Please! Don't!"

Portia, Nadia, and Valerius looked at each other as the other three courtiers started jeering at Volta. "You spoke with her," Nadia said after a moment, keeping her voice low as to not be heard over the arguing. "What do you think we should do with her?"

"I don't think she means us any harm, actually," Valerius answered. "She surrendered immediately after the nightmare masquerade, has only ever complained that she's hungry, has _never_ given the guards any trouble. Honestly, the only reason she's still in a cell is because I didn't want to deal with the fallout with the other three if I asked you to let her go. But given the circumstances..."

Portia spoke up. "If she doesn't want to make the deal, she doesn't have to. We can't make her. But can't we move her out of a cell and into a guarded guest room? She'd still be a prisoner for however long you feel she needs to be, but she'd be comfortable. She's done nothing to deserve this."

"I disagree," Nadia said softly. "She helped the Devil in his designs for this realm. But you're also right. The punishment has long since exceeded the crime. Do as Portia says, Valerius. Let her go, but keep her in a locked, guarded room until we've determined if she should be allowed her freedom."

Valerius nodded, and motioned at the guard at the end of the cell block. "You heard her. I'll take custody of Volta." 

That got the others' attention. As the guard unlocked Volta's cell, Vulgora protested, " _What?!_ Why does she get to leave! She's one of us! If you're going to release her then release the rest of us! _Now_!"

"Absolutely not," Nadia said firmly. "You'll be free soon enough if your champion overcomes mine. Come, Valerius, Portia. We have much to discuss, much to do. I want extra guards down here to control them if they try anything."

"Yes, Countess," Valerius said, as they started walking. He stopped to direct one of the guards to bring six more down there and keep them on rotation until further notice, then hurried to catch up to Nadia, Volta's hand firmly in his.

When they were out of the dungeon, Volta began crying. "Oh, thank you!" she sobbed, wiping her eyes with her free hand. "Volta has been so lonely in that cell for so long, so lonely indeed- and so hungry! What can I do to repay you for this kindess? I know I was wrong, I just want to help make things right now. What's going on?"

Valerius and Nadia looked at each other. "Do we tell her?" Nadia asked.

"I wouldn't recommend it."

"I know a bit about what's happening," Volta helpfully put in. "Asra has gone to the Fool's realm to try to stop Alain from becoming an Arcana, right? I didn't know about Asra until you talked to Vlastomil, but I've hoped and prayed for Asra's success and safety ever since."

Nadia looked down at Volta thoughtfully. "Portia. I know this isn't usually your purview, but do you think you could interview Volta, see if she would be any help against Alain? I want to be back in the village by tomorrow night, but I think we can spare a few hours to do this one thing."

"I can do that."

"Valerius, stay with them. Just in case Volta isn't as innocent as she's claiming to be."

Volta turned to Nadia, her eyes watering. "Oh, Countess, I am not acting! I have never liked those three, never, oh, they are so mean! I am but a small Volta, I can't hope to stand against them."

"I think that's our answer about her usefulness," Valerius replied in disdain.

As Volta whined again, Nadia closed her eyes. "Regardless. Interview her. I will brief Muriel on the situation."

“As you wish, Countess.” Valerius tugged gently on Volta to get her moving again, and Portia followed them into the library. The door shut softly behind them, and Nadia made her way to the guest wing, and knocked on Muriel’s door. 

The door opened immediately, Muriel’s face peeking out from behind it. When he saw that it was Nadia he opened the door completely. “Yes?”

“We are preparing to return to the village,” she informed him. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay. Refreshed. I’m ready to go when you are. What did Portia find?”

“We can force them from this realm with a deal. Valerius suggested we make a wager, and they took it. If Asra defeats Alain, they leave. If he does not, I cede Vesuvia to them.”

“I see.”

“You’re not concerned with my bet?”

“No. Asra will win. But I want to get back to him to help, if I can. We’re bringing Portia back with us, aren’t we?”

“Yes. She will join Asra in the magical realms to help take down Alain.”

“I want to go, too. To the magical realms. Especially now that the city is on the line.”

Nadia grinned at him. “Didn’t you think Asra was going to win?”

“I mean- yes. Asra can defeat him. Alone. But he shouldn’t have to. If I can make it easier, then I want too.”

“Fair enough. I’m sure she’ll have no trouble bringing you with her. Get ready to go now. Portia is interviewing Volta to see if she will be useful to us. She’s declared loyalty to us and no longer wishes to be associated with the others. However, how useful this is is currently... dubious, at best. She will be given a chance to prove that she can be trusted, but I won’t put her in danger.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare my things to go back.”

“Good. I’ll be back for you when it’s time to go.”

Muriel grunted and closed his door and Nadia walked away to make her own preparations.

* * *

Nadia rode in the front of the group, lost in thought. Portia had determined that Volta would be of very little help, if at all, and so she was left in Valerius’s care. She wondered how Asra and Aisha were faring; She was less concerned for Aisha, as she hadn’t been in the realms for as long as Asra had, but both were reaching the point that Asra had told her before that magicians shouldn’t cross, that death would be imminent if they did not return to their bodies. 

“Portia,” Nadia said, the though of Asra’s impending death disturbing her. “Perhaps instead of going in after Asra and Aisha, you, Muriel, and Salim should try to bring them back. Asra’s been in the realms for close to a week now; I don’t think his body can take much more than-“

And then she stopped, tilting her head at the wind. “Do you hear that?”

She drew her horse to a stop, Portia and Muriel following suit. “That’s coming from the village,” Portia murmured. “I thought it was reported to be completely abandoned.”

“It was when I left. What’s going on?” Nadia dismounted and crept forward through the field. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She had some skill in magic, skill that she had asked Asra to help her hone years ago. She rarely used it, but she used it now, unwilling to go further without knowing what they were walking into. She stretched out her magical senses, searching, seeking out whatever was making the noise. She stopped with a gasp. “The villagers are back,” she said excitedly. “Maybe we’ve already won.”

“Only one way to find out!” Portia said brightly, and spurred her horse into a light trot. Nadia mounted again and she and Muriel followed, hope blossoming in them all.

When they arrived in the village, they were greeted warmly. Julian came out to meet them. “Asra and Aisha are awake,” he told them. “They’re eating and resting now.”

“Does this mean it’s over?” Nadia asked hopefully.

He shook his head slowly. “Unfortunately not. All they did was break the enchantment keeping everyone in the realm. They have to go back, and soon; Thomas is still in there. He’s guarded by two Arcana now, but he’s been stranded there for five years. Asra is refusing to let him go on like that, and I don’t blame him.”

Nadia nodded, as Portia and Muriel dismounted behind her. “I trust you can get our horses taken care of?” she asked.

“Right away, Countess.”

Julian hurried off, giving Portia a curious look. He mouthed something to her, then made his way through the village. The three travelers went to the house they had left Asra and Aisha at, the house Julian had come out of, and Nadia knocked politely on the doorframe, peeking in the open door. “Hello?” she called out.

A woman a bit older than herself stood from the kitchen table and went to the door. “You must be Countess Nadia, Muriel, and... I’m sorry, dear, but I’m not sure...”

Portia stepped forward, offering her hand. "My name's Portia," she greeted with a smile. "I'm Countess Nadia's head servant, and Asra's friend. You are?"

"Oh! How rude of me." The woman took Portia's hand and shook it warmly. "My name is Briarwood. I've been helping Asra in the magical realms. He told me about the Countess and his friend Muriel. He didn't tell me about you."

"He didn't know I was coming." Portia pulled away, eyes darting to the stairs in the back of the house. "Can we see him?"

"Yes, of course. He and his parents are upstairs. He was a bit weak when we came back from the magical realms but he's regaining his strength quickly. Please don't wake him if he's asleep."

"We won't," Nadia said, and the three of them headed up the stairs.

Asra was laying in the bed on his back, arm slung across his eyes as he talked. Aisha and Salim sat on the side of the bed, listening to him. "Oh!" Aisha said, as they came into the room. "Look who's here!"

At that, Asra pulled his arm away and lifted his head, looking at them. "Hi, guys," he said softly. He didn't sound weak, just tired. "I bet this was a surprise."

"Quite a surprise," Nadia agreed, as they piled into the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Getting there. We can't wait for me to recover completely before we go back. We left with an advantage, and I want to make sure we _keep_ that advantage. And I want to make sure Thomas is still safe." Guilt laced his voice. "He's been in the magical realms all this time, fighting for one of the realms, and I just... didn't follow him. I didn't think to ask. The fact that this situation has progressed this far is my fault. If I'd just swallowed my pride and asked the Magician..."

"Thomas told you not to follow him," Muriel said, his voice quiet and neutral. "This isn't your fault, Asra. It's no one's fault but Alain's."

"Thank you for saying that, Muriel. I don't agree, but thank you regardless." He laid back down, huffing out a laugh. "I can't go back yet, though. I'm exhausted." 

"Get some sleep, then," Nadia said, smiling at him comfortingly. "We'll find lodging for ourselves and convene tomorrow morning. Does that satisfy everyone?"

She was met with a chorus of assent, and motioned for Portia and Muriel to follow her back down the stairs. Briar was sitting at the kitchen table again, and looked up when they came down. "How's he doing?" she asked.

"He's tired, but I don't think it's anything that can't be resolved with a good night's sleep. Speaking of which, we should rest ourselves. Does this village have an inn?"

"Yes, I'll walk you there." Briar stood and led the way out of the house, through the streets of the village to a large building, and then into it. "Keine!" she called out, and a man hurried out from a back room behind a counter. Briar gestured at the companions. "This is Countess Nadia and her entourage. They're here to help Asra defeat Alain. Will you put them up for the night?"

"Yes, of course."

"How much for three rooms?" Nadia asked, going to the counter.

"You're Asra's friends. I can't take money from you. He's the only reason we're home. If you're here to help him, then it's on the house."

"I couldn't possibly-" Nadia started.

Briar interrupted her. "I suggest you go along with it. Ezra is stubborn." 

The man gave her a toothy grin, and Nadia nodded, a bit uneasily. "Very well. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated."

"It's no trouble." Ezra retrieved three keys from behind the counter and handed them to her. "I'm afraid it's no palace, but it's cool and comfortable. Rest well."

Nadia passed out the keys and the three of them headed up the stairs, listening to Briar and Ezra talk quietly. Ezra was asking about Asra; but Nadia was too polite to eavesdrop. There was little she could learn about the subject that she didn't already know, anyway. They came to their rooms, and Nadia unlocked her door as Muriel and Portia tended to theirs. "Well, this is good night," Nadia said. "Don't hesitate to come wake me should you need anything, either of you.”

They nodded, and went into their rooms without another word. Nadia opened the door to hers and went inside, dropping her traveling bag on the floor by the door, and ungracefully flopped on the bed. She was overjoyed that Asra was safe, that he had found Thomas... but they still had to stop Alain.

But they couldn’t do anything with Asra in the condition he was in, and she was exhausted herself. With that thought, she toed off her boots and rolled over in the bed, cuddling into the pillows. For now: sleep. 


	16. Chapter 16

Asra woke almost refreshed. Vestiges of exhaustion clung to him, but he forced himself out of the bed and tiptoed down the stairs, looking for food. He found a loaf of bread and some butter, and set about making toast for himself.

Briar was the next one awake, and seemed startled to see him sitting at the dining room table. “Oh! Look who’s awake! How’re you feeling?”

“Okay enough. I think I’m alright to go back to the Fool’s realm. The faster we do this, the better.”

“Agreed. Are you sure you’re up for it, though? You look exhausted.”

“I’m not as bad as I look, I promise. Once everyone is awake, we can decide who’s going back.” Briar nodded, moving to fix herself a piece of toast as well.

In two hours, the entire group was squeezed into Briar’s little house. “How is everyone readjusting to life in the real world?” Nadia asked Briar.

“Well enough. We’ve got hunters out to replenish our stock of food; a lot of it went bad while we were in the realms. We could use some help getting our stores back up to an acceptable level.”

“And you shall have it,” Nadia promised. “I will personally order supplies to be brought to the village.”

Briar grimaced. “Are you sure? We don’t pay taxes to Vesuvia; honestly, it’s not your problem.”

"We live in a society reliant on each other. My merchants trade with you; it's how I found out about your predicament in the first place. And you're human beings having a difficult time. I would be remiss as a fellow human being if I could render aid and did not, and I can. Honestly, it's no trouble. We have plenty to share. And who knows, maybe we will find ourselves wanting to draw closer with a treaty of mutual aid."

"You didn't hear Ezra when convincing the townspeople that we wanted to break the enchantment and return to the physical world," Asra said quickly. "They really, _really_ value their independence."

"And they shall have it. When I say 'mutual aid' I mean it. All it would mean is that if one is in trouble, the other will come to their aid, as we have this time. I would never seek to subjugate a village that didn't want to be Vesuvian."

Briar looked at her with deep respect. "Thank you, Countess. Once all is said and done, we'll decide on what manner of relationship we wish to have with Vesuvia. I don't think 'no relationship' is right anymore. You've already done so much for us and now you're pledging to do more. Thank you."

Nadia smiled. "Vesuvia's assistance comes with no strings attached, I assure you." Then she grimaced. "But if we don't successfully take out Alain, I cannot promise anyone's safety. In order to get them to agree to leave this realm for good, I promised Vesuvia to the former courtiers if Asra didn't either bring Alain back in chains or kill him. That said, are you sure you're ready to go back, Asra?"

Asra had paled at Nadia's proclamation, but nodded. "I won't let that happen. Who's coming with me?"

"I want Portia to go with you," Nadia said immediately. "I think she can help defend you from him."

"I'm going back," Aisha said firmly. 

Briar murmured her agreement, and Salim ran a hand through his hair. "Are we sure you can come and go as you please now?"

"He may have put the enchantment back," Asra said, "but I don't plan on giving him time to put us in the condition we were in before. We're going to go back, find him, and end this."

"Then I will go as well," he said firmly. 

Muriel cleared his throat. "I will... stay and watch over you," he said softly. "I don't want to fight. I can’t.”

“No one expects you to,” Asra said gently. “Besides, we need people who can use magic to care for us if Alain put the enchantment back. You will watch over us, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

“We need to have some way for you to communicate with us,” Julian said firmly. “Muriel, do you have a familiar, like the Alnazars’ snakes?”

“I guess Inanna is like a familiar,” he answered, almost grudgingly. “I can understand her, and Faust and Chimes and Flamel can talk to her. But she’s back in Vesuvia.”

“We can’t wait for him to go get her,” Asra said firmly. “We have to go now.”

“Agreed,” Briar said. “Muriel, Asra can talk to Faust over distances. Might the same be true for you and Inanna?”

“I don’t know. Never tried. But I can try now.”

“Try,” Nadia said. “Asra, Portia, Aisha, Salim, Briar- find comfortable spaces and go to the Fool’s realm. We’ll figure out the details.”

Asra nodded, standing. “Briar, can my parents and I use the room we were using before?”

“Yes, the bed should be big enough for the three of you. Portia and I will use the guest room,” Briar answered.

The magicians filed up the stairs, closely followed by Julian and Nadia. Julian went to monitor Briar and Portia, while Nadia followed the Alnazars into the master bedroom. Asra and his parents arranged themselves on the bed, holding hands, as Nadia sat beside the bed. Asra closed his eyes, breathing deeply. “I will guide you,” Asra said, his voice calm and soothing. “Follow my magic into the realms.”

He wasn’t used to doing this without water; it was a little difficult for him to find and latch onto the magic of the Fool’s realm, but a familiar feeling embraced him as he searched, a lover’s caress, and he sank down into the depths of magic, following that feeling. 

The next thing he knew, he was in Thomas’s arms. “I’ve got you,” he said soothingly, as Asra struggled to regain his bearings. The Fool and the Magician were there, and his companions faded into view around him, in various positions.

Portia regained her senses first, looking around. When her gaze fell on Thomas, she gave a squeak and rushed up to him and Asra, throwing her arms around both of them. “It is so good to see you!” she exclaimed. 

“It’s good to see you too, Portia.” Thomas looked around at the group, smiling. “Hello, Salim.”

Salim smiled back. “It is good to see you. You’ve been missed.”

“Yes, well, I’m looking forward to being able to go home,” Thomas answered. “What’s the situation in the village?”

“Celebratory,” Briar told him. “We’ve got hunters out to replenish the stock of food that went bad while we were here, and the Countess has pledged support as well. What about here? What’s happening?”

“Nothing,” The Fool said. “Alain hasn’t made any apparent moves. I think he’s aware that it’s the end of the line for him. He’ll be reinforcing his fortress’s defenses against us.”

“There’s something Thomas should know,” Portia said. “Milady realized that the old courtiers were a problem. They’re... not human. What was the word... demons. They’re demons. She made a bet with them that Asra would beat Alain. If he does, then Valdemar, Vulgora, and Vlastomil will leave the physical realm forever. If he doesn’t, though... Vesuvia is theirs.”

Thomas ran a hand down his face. “So no pressure, right?”

“None at all.” Portia gave him a bright smile. “The Countess believes in all of us. We’re going to wipe the floor with him.”

“Your confidence is heartening, but I’ve been fighting him for- for however long it’s been. Years. I think Asra said it’s been five. He’s not going to be easy to beat, even with all of us.”

“I know that. But I know we can do it.” Portia smiled brightly. “So where do we start?”

Asra spoke up. “I don’t think the Magician or the Fool can take us right to him, can you?” He looked at them quizzically.

The Magician shook their head. “I cannot. If the Fool could, I think we would be there already.” The Fool nodded his agreement, and the Magician said, “Asra and Briar almost made it to his fortress when all of this began. I’m sure they could lead the way.”

Briar and Asra looked at each other. “Last time we went in those woods, I nearly died,” he said. “This is the Fool’s realm; can’t he guide us a different way?”

The Fool nodded slowly. “Which route did you take?”

“Through the woods,” Briar answered.

“We can go around. It’s a longer route, but it’s safer- and Alain won’t be expecting it. We will still have to enter the woods, but we can attack from the back of the fortress.”

Asra nodded. “That sounds good to me. Everyone on board for this?” 

The Fool waited until everyone had agreed, then started walking. “Follow me.”

He took them right up to the edge of the woods Briar and Asra had tried to cross, then followed the tree line. They never crossed it, walking in a straight line just at the edge. After several hours of this, Portia said, “It doesn’t feel like we’re making any progress. Are we making any progress?”

“This forest is big,” the Fool replied. “We should start veering to the north soon-“

Abruptly, he stopped, eyes narrowing at the horizon. “What is it?” Aisha asked.

The Magician joined the Fool at the front of the group, staring off into the distance, and then gasped. “He didn’t!”

“It looks like he did, my friend.”

“What did he do?” Asra demanded.

“It looks like he altered the landscape,” the Magician said. “I’m not sure we should continue on this path.”

“Why? What do you see?” Briar asked.

“A cliff. The woods end in a cliff.”

A murmur of discontent shimmered through the group. "Do we head into the woods now or wait until we reach the cliff?” Asra asked.

The Arcana looked at each other. “I say we keep going,” the Fool said. “We might find something useful. A path, perhaps.”

The group seemed doubtful, but they all started walking again. Asra kept a close eye on the tree line, looking for the path thatg the Fool thought they would stumble upon. Soon they could see the edge of the cliff, and Asra stopped when they were still a distance away. "I think we should head into the woods now," he said. "I don't know how safe the cliffside will be if there are trees growing right up to the edge of it."

"Physics from the physical realm don't apply to the magical realms," the Magician said. "You know this, Asra."

"I know. But Alain is human, not an Arcana, and the Fool said _he_ did this. I'd rather not chance going right up to the edge."

"I think Asra is right," Briar said. "If we haven't found a path yet, we're not going to. It would be better for us to just make our own path. Surely we're beyond the fortress at this point."

As the humans all murmured their agreement, the Arcana exchanged a look. "They might be right," the Fool said. "We are certainly past the fortress by now. I don't like going into the woods when there's no clear path, but-"

"We can make our own path," Salim said. "If we all work together, we should be able to do it without much effort."

"Alright," the Magician agreed. "We will help as well."

With that, the group turned to the woods. Asra hesitated at the edge, and Briar put a hand on his shoulder. “It will be alright, Asra,” she said soothingly. “There are more of us now. If we’re attacked by the beetles again, we’ll be able to hold them off. I promise.”


	17. Chapter 17

The going was slow; the group took turns clearing the path. Thomas took the brunt of the work, able to transform his staff into a blade to hack at the underbrush. It was less exhausting than using magic, but Asra insisted that he take breaks, letting the others do their share.

Before long, they stumbled out onto a path. Asra looked up and down it. “It runs back south,” he said. “Do we want to follow it?”

The Magician’s magic stretched out down the path. “It won’t lead us directly to the fortress,” they said, “but it’ll take us close. It might be worth it just for the rest. You’re all exhausting yourselves at this rate. We’ll be beaten handily if you don’t restore some of your vitality somehow.”

“It’s also getting dark,” the Fool observed. “Perhaps we’ll find a clearing it will be safe to rest at.”

They all murmured their agreement, and headed down the path, walking two at a time. As the shadows lengthened, Asra’s hand found Thomas’s. Thomas squeezed his fingers comfortingly, and Asra squeezed back. He thought he felt Thomas trembling. “Are you alright?” he asked quietly.

Thomas shook his head slightly. “I know how brutal this man is,” he whispered. Asra had to strain to hear him. “I’ve seen the lengths he’ll go to in order to get his way, and I’m leading people I love right up to him.”

“You’re not leading us to him. We’re going with you.” Asra glanced at him askance. “I love you too much to let you face him alone again.”

“It’s been five years. How can you still love me that much?”

Asra stopped, pulling Thomas to a stop beside him. The others halted after a few paces, looking back at them curiously. “My love is unconditional,” he murmured to him. "I told you once that I’d always find you. It took me a while, but I did.”

“You weren’t looking. You abandoned me.”

Asra flinched. “I’m sorry. I can’t take back my inaction, no matter how much I wish I could. But I can go with you now.” Thomas just looked down, and Asra watched him, his heart aching. "I thought we came to an understanding back at the Fool’s castle.”

“We argued and then made love. That’s not an understanding, Asra.”

“Tommy...”

Briar cleared her throat. “Is this really the time to have this conversation?” she asked quietly. “I understand you’re both hurting, but-“

“This is bigger than Asra and me.” Thomas looked up at them. “I can’t... I want you all to go back.” Everyone protested at once, and Thomas held up a hand. “Hear me out. I’ve held my own against him for five years. You removed the factor that made him more powerful than me. I can-“

“Continue to simply hold him off?” Portia challenged. “Because that’s what'll happen. You’re back to how things were before he started draining power from a village. You couldn’t beat him before then. Let us help you, Thomas.”

Thomas stared at her for a moment before Salim added, “We want you to come home.”

Thomas’s shoulders slumped. “I- alright. If- if you really want to-“

“We really want to,” Aisha said gently. "No matter how much time passed, you’re still our friend.”

Asra squeezed Thomas’s hand again, and Thomas squeezed back, taking a deep breath. “Alright. First things first- Alain. Let’s keep going and find somewhere to rest.”

The group started moving again, as the shadows lengthened and darkened. Briar and Thomas created orbs of light as darkness fell, guiding their footsteps. Soon the path split into three, one path heading straight ahead, another veering to the right, and the third heading straight to the right. “Split up?” Portia suggested.

“Absolutely not.” Asra was vehement. “These woods are dangerous.”

“I think the one that veers will take us to the fortress,” the Fool said, squinting down the path. "Let’s see where this one to the right takes us.”

Without another word, the group headed off onto the right path. After walking for a few minutes, it opened up into a large clearing. The group gathered in the center as the two Arcana circled it, their magic extended beyond the clearing. “It’s safe,” the Magician announced finally, and the group tiredly settled on the ground.

“We should set a watch,” Thomas said. “We can’t all sleep at the same time.”

“The Fool and I will be the watch,” the Magician said, settling down at the edge of the group. “You all do what you must. I can sense that you’re hungry and exhausted.”

“I am,” Thomas agreed. 

“Thomas might be the only one who actually needs to rest,” Asra said. “He’s the only one physically in the realm.”

At Aisha and Salim’s agreement, the Magician said, “Even so, if you can rest, you should.”

Briar was already gathering sticks for kindling. “Portia? Do you feel like helping me build a campfire?”

“On it!”

Portia jumped up and headed for the trees. “Don’t go too far!” Salim called out. There was an answering noise, and Briar followed her. 

“We haven’t discussed what we’re going to do when we get there,” Aisha said.

“We find him and defeat him.” Asra shrugged.

“I’m surprised at you,” Salim said. “This is a magician that has held off the most powerful magician we know for _years_ , and the whole of your plan is to simply go in and defeat him?"

Asra leaned forward. "We don't know what the layout of the fortress is. We don't know if he managed to magic up any assistants of any sort. We don't even know how badly losing the village damaged his ability to fight. Unless you somehow know these things, Dad, then yes, my plan is to simply go in and defeat him. We have no choice. We _have_ to win."

"I'll be able to guide us," Thomas offered. "When the Fool first forced me back to the realm, Alain got to me before the Fool did. He almost- _almost-_ managed to brainwash me before the Fool rescued me. I'm familiar with the fortress. I can take you right to him."

"That's one obstacle dealt with," Aisha said. "Fool, do you happen to know what condition Alain is in? Is that something you can sense?"

The Fool closed his eyes, and Asra felt his magic extending out from him. "He's... confused, mostly," the Fool said finally. "He's aware that we sent the village back. I think he was so caught up in healing the damage Asra dealt him in their fight to feel Asra and the others return, though. If I'm right, he thinks it'll just be me and Thomas coming for him. That'll give us an advantage."

Asra smirked. "Go in and take him out is looking more like a doable goal now, don't you think?"

"Don't get smart with me," Salim said mildly. "Look, Portia and Briar are back."

Together, they put together a fire pit and soon had a merrily crackling, warm fire illuminating the clearing. Thomas reiterated what he and the Fool had told the others as they ate, and answered their questions about the fortress as best as he could. He grimaced when he realized he didn't remember nearly as much as he thought he did. "Sorry," he murmured at the fourth time he replied that he couldn't answer a question. "Looks like we're a bit more blind than I thought we would be."

"It's been a long time," Asra said, rubbing Thomas's back. "We'll figure it out."

"We will," Briar agreed, yawning. "Oh my goodness, I am so sleepy. I think it's time we turned in."

"You're right," Portia said, already stretching out on the ground. "Everyone sleep well! No spooning, you two!"

Thomas gave a flustered laugh as Asra pulled him down next to him. "We'll spoon if we want to," he said, sticking his tongue out at her. Thomas laughed and scolded him, pulling him into his arms. 

Briar watched this for a moment, smiling, as Portia and Salim settled down as well, leaving the Arcana and Briar and Aisha. The Arcana were off away from the circle of light the fire gave off, and the women sat in companionable silence for a while before Briar spoke. “It’s like he’s a different person, now that Thomas is here,” she said softly. 

Aisha gave a soft hum of agreement. “Their separation changed both of them, but in the end- he’s happy again. I think we need to do some work on him- his happiness shouldn’t be enmeshed so tightly in another person- but it’s good to see him smiling again.”

Silence descended again, and Aisha spoke after another few minutes. “What do you plan to do when this is all over?”

“I haven’t thought about it,” Briar acknowledged. “I just assumed I’d go back to being Absecon’s magician, but... but I’m not sure about that anymore. I was helpless to stop Alain from kidnapping an entire village. I’m clearly not as good as I thought I was.”

“I think you’re selling yourself short,” Aisha said softly. “Listen- Salim and I teach magically-inclined orphans in Vesuvia, with Asra assisting sometimes. Now that Thomas is back, I fully expect him to resume running their shop together in center city. We could use a third teacher to take his place. Would you like to-“

“Are you sure? Shouldn’t you run that past the Countess first?”

Aisha smiled. “She trusts us to manage their instruction as we see fit. It’ll be fine, and yes, I’m sure. You’re a remarkably talented magician, and you’re no stranger to teaching. We would love to teach alongside you.”

Briar returned her smile. “Let me think on it,” she said softly. “We’ve got a power-crazed magician to take down first.”

“You’re right. First things first.” Aisha suppressed a yawn. “I’m going to join my husband. I suggest you get some sleep, too. Leave the watch to the magical beings who don’t get tired.”

“Sleep well, Aisha.”

Aisha laid down, curling into Salim. He didn’t wake as he drew her into his arms, nuzzling against her hair veil. 

Briar sat up a bit longer, listening intently for any sign of danger. All she heard was Portia’s soft snoring and the Arcanas’ whispered conversation. Satisfied after a moment that there was truly no danger, she laid down, curled up beside the fire, and closed her eyes. 

* * *

They all awoke refreshed the next day. After a quick meal, the group dismantled their campsite, kicking the ash from the fire about to hide that it had been there. That done, the Magician led them back out to the main path, and down the one that would take them to the fortress.

It only took a few hours of walking to reach it; they faced the back of it, and Thomas took the lead, feeling along the back wall for something. After feeling the wall for a few feet, Thomas’s expression brightened, and he pushed against it. The wall moved away from him, creating an opening roughly the size of a door. “Come on. The coast should be clear here.”

Thomas disappeared into the building, and the others filed in after him. The room they found themselves in was dark, and Asra created an orb of light and set it above them, casting a soft glow over their surroundings.

It was a simple chamber; boxes stood piled up to the ceiling to one side, and Asra approached them curiously. “I wonder what could possibly be in those boxes,” he murmured, standing on his toes to look inside one.

“I don’t know,” Thomas answered. “Supplies? I never actually looked in those boxes. The only reason I know of this room is because it’s the one I escaped out of.”

Asra peeked in one of the boxes. “It’s straw,” he murmured. “Why would he have boxes of straw?”

The others looked around uneasily. “Is he keeping pets?” Briar asked.

“Did you see any when we were here?” Asra asked.

“No, I didn’t, but I didn’t see very much of the fortress. If he’s keeping pets, we might need to consider how to handle them once we take him into custody. We don’t want to leave innocent animals to their own devices.”

"I agree,” the Fool said, “but if he’s keeping pets of any kind, I sincerely question how safe they are. I can’t sense anything in here but him and us, which means that if there are animals here, they’re not of my realm. Be on your guard.”

Thomas had already crossed the room and was standing against the door, ear pressed to it. “The coast is clear,” he said. “Can we get this over with?”

“Agreed,” Asra said, leading the group across the room. Thomas eased the door open, and they piled out into a larger chamber, with stairs heading up into darkness on the far side. The Fool went first, gesturing for the other to follow him.

The stairs led up to another bare room, but it was lit with torches giving off magical, heatless light. The Fool led them through one of the doors into a corridor and down it.

Soon Asra was lost, as the Fool led them through the fortress. He debated their path with Thomas a few times, but for the most part, they traveled in silence, the only sound their footsteps on the marble and their soft breathing.

They finally came to a corridor Asra found familiar. “I know where we are,” he whispered. “Are we sure we want to meet him there?”

“Luck willing, we won’t meet him there,” the Fool said. “When you were here, and he showed you his illusion room, there was a crystal in the center of it, was there not?”

Briar and Asra looked at each other. “There was,” Briar answered. 

“It’s magical,” Thomas said. “He can draw power from it. We’re going to destroy it.”

“This guy really has no power of his own, does he?” Portia mused.

“He’s plenty powerful on his own,” the Fool said. “He wouldn’t have been able to do half of what he’s done if he wasn’t. And we can’t do anything about his deal with Vlastomil. But every little bit that we can weaken him, we should.”

“Of course, I didn’t mean to say we shouldn’t. But... we weren’t able to use the village to our advantage. What about this crystal?”

The Fool and the Magician looked at each other. “It’s an interesting proposition,” the Magician said, as they arrived at the room. “Someone would have to remain with it to ensure it remains under their control. That would, of course, put that person in the uncomfortable position of needing to defend themselves if Alain reaches this room before we find him. And once he senses that he no longer has control of the crystal, he will come check on it.”

“Then why don’t we stay in this room? Make our stand here,” Salim suggested. 

“We could certainly do that,” the Fool said. He closed the door behind them, as Thomas approached the crystal. “If anyone tries to take control of it, it should be Thomas. He’s been here the longest by far, and he’s more in-tune with the realm than the rest of you.”

Thomas laid a hand on the crystal, then jerked back as if he had been shocked. “Am I doing this?” he asked, looking up at everyone.

The rest of them looked at each other, then at the Arcana. “Do it,” the Fool said. “I will help.”

“Everyone else, fan out in front of the crystal,” the Magician said. “We can’t let Alain get to it once Thomas has taken control of it.”

The group did as the Magician directed, spreading out across the room, guarding Thomas and the crystal. The Fool joined Thomas at the podium, and put his hand on Thomas’s arm. Thomas took a deep breath, and placed his hand on the crystal. 


	18. Chapter 18

Thomas screamed, and Asra immediately turned to go to him. “No!” Thomas said through the pain. “Stay there! I can handle this!”

“Thomas-“

“He’s got it, Asra!” the Magician cut him off. “Hold your ground!”

Asra gritted his teeth and turned away, every nerve in his body screaming at him to go to Thomas, to help him, to do something, anything to stop the pain he was in.

He could feel the magic coursing through the air, resisting Thomas. But after only a few moments, Thomas calmed, letting out a breath of relief, and the magic in the air stilled. “I have control of it,” Thomas announced. “He’s coming. Get ready.”

Asra focused his magic. A spear made of solid ice materialized in the air in front of him, and he grabbed it. To his sides, the others armed themselves with similar magical weapons, or magic itself. The Fool and the Magician created a shield around them. At first, Asra thought it was a forcefield similar to what they had created when they faced Alain at the Fool's castle, but the magic contracted around them, settling over their bodies in a thin barrier. 

And then they waited.

Asra was about to suggest that perhaps Alain wasn't taking the bait, when a noise from the hallway caught his attention. "What was that?" he asked, eyes darting around the room and then to the door.

"It- it sounded like _skittering_ ," Portia said uncomfortably. "You said there were plague beetles in this realm. And we know that Alain has a deal with Vlastomil. What if-"

She cut herself off, listening intently, watching the door. The skittering screw in volume until it was clear what the noise was. "He's keeping the plague beetles here," Briar breathed. "That hay was for them."

"Plague beetles eat hay," Asra said in a deadpan. "Why is that not surprising?"

"That door isn't going to be able to hold them back for much longer," Salim said. "What are we going to do?"

"Everyone come back to the podium," Thomas said in a tight voice. "I'm going to try something." The group obeyed him, backing up until they were shoulder to shoulder in front of the crystal. Asra felt the magic surge around them, the floor trembling beneath their feet. He nearly yelped in surprise as the floor began to break apart and rise in the air. Asra almost lost his balance, but planted his feet firmly against the floor and held on. Once they were half-way to the ceiling, the floor stopped rising, leaving half of the room a dozen feet in the air.

"Good thinking," Aisha said, "but now that we're up here, what are we going to do about the beetles?"

"Leave that to me." Thomas's voice sounded strained, but confident.

Asra glanced back at him. "Don't do this alone. Let us help you."

"Oh, believe me, I'm going to be relying on you to hold Alain off. This thing does _not_ like me. But I think I can handle the plague beetles."

As he spoke, the door burst open, and the giant plague beetles streamed through, skittering right up to the raised platform. They climbed over each other in a futile attempt to get to them, but only succeeded in pushing each other down to the floor. "There are so many of them!" Aisha cried, fear shot through her voice.

"I can handle them," Thomas repeated. This time his voice was hollow, and Asra's hair stood up on end as the magic Thomas was controlling gathered in the crystal. Again, Asra looked back to see Thomas's eyes glowing faintly, and the crystal was lit up bright as a sun. "Duck," Thomas commanded. Asra obeyed, reaching out beside him to Briar and Aisha to bring them down beneath the magic. The crystal's light flared outward, and there was a deafening, high-pitched shriek from the beetles.

And then silence. Asra let his companions up, as Salim and Portia stood as well. There was nothing left of the plague beetles. "Whew!" Portia said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "If you can do that to Alain-"

"I don’t know if I can,” Thomas cut her off. "That took a lot out of me, and I don’t want to kill him anyway.”

Briar glanced back at him. “After everything he’s done to you-“

“Thomas isn’t like him,” Asra said. “None of us are. Are we?”

His question was pointed. Briar took the hint. “You’re right. We’re not.”

“Glad we cleared that up,” the Fool said dryly. “Keep your guard up. He’s coming.”

Asra’s grip on the spear tightened as Thomas released the magic holding half the room up. The floor slowly sank back down, smoother than it had risen. They were almost level with the ground again when Alain’s form filled the doorway. He glanced around the room, lips pressed together in an angry line. “I was wondering how you fended the beetles off for long enough to destroy them so completely.”

“Give up, Alain,” Asra growled. “You don’t have the village to siphon magic from. You don’t have the crystal fueling you anymore. It’s just you against six magicians and two Arcana. You can’t win. Just come back to the physical world with us and we can finish sorting this out there.”

Alain drew his sword. “You’re greatly underestimating me,” he snapped back, “and I’m going to make you regret it.”

As Alain advanced, Thomas activated the crystal again. “Keep your guard up! He didn’t do as much damage as he did because he’s weak!”

Asra adjusted his stance, quickly realizing that Alain was focused on him. Alain swung his sword in a deadly arc at Asra’s throat, seeking to end him quickly. Asra brought his spear up in plenty of time to block the strike, then stretched out a hand and blasted Alain with his magic. Alain fell back as he realized that Thomas was channeling the crystal’s magic into Asra. Asra’s violet eyes glowed with the power, raising his hand and focusing his magic once more. Blue-violet lightning streaked from his fingers, striking Alain in the chest. Alain’s body jerked and he fell to his knees, gasping and groaning, and stayed there. 

“Don’t tell me that’s it,” Portia said incredulously.

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, dear,” Briar said, stepping forward. “I’m glad it was that eas-“

“Briar, look out!” Aisha yelled, grabbing her arm and yanking her back. As she stumbled back to the group, Alain’s magic flared to life, surrounding him. 

Asra watched in growing dread as he realized that it wasn’t just Alain’s magic. It had a sickly white tinge to it, streaked with red and black. _You can’t lose!_ hissed an unpleasant, unearthly voice.

_Get up!_ came another. _We’re counting on you!_

"What was that?!” Thomas exclaimed, as magic tendrils wrapped around Alain’s body.

“That sounded like Valdemar and Vulgora!” Portia cried, as the magic began to shift and twist Alain’s body. The magic obscured Alain from their vision entirely. Bones cracked, muscles ripped, Alain screamed, a ghastly sound. Asra focused his magic, trying to dispel the courtier’s magic that was mangling Alain, as much an act of mercy as it was to try to stop the advantage from taking hold.

He wasn’t strong enough. The magic engulfing Alain blew away to reveal a twisted monster. Bright red armored scales covered him from head to toe, covering slimy, pale ropes of sludge for Alain’s arms and legs. His head was an amalgamation of sinew, eyes and teeth, and in his hand was a black blade, bleeding and dripping gore.

Asra swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat at the sight, grimly adjusting his hold on his spear. Alain stalked forward on unsteady feet as Asra felt the crystal’s magic surging through him again. He wasted no time, throwing another blue-violet bolt of magic at Alain. This time, though, Alain batted the bolt back at him with his blade. Asra ducked instinctively and then gasped as he heard Thomas cry out in pain. “Sorry! I’m so sorry!”

"Focus!” the Fool snapped.

“I’m alright!” Thomas called out, clearly pained. “Asra, look out!”

Asra turned just in time to bring his spear up, blocking Alain’s downward stroke on him. He strained against Alain’s strength, gasping out, “Quickly, while he’s distracted! Disable him!”

All of the others focused their magic on Alain. A deep, rasping noise came from him that sounded eerily like a laugh, ignoring them to bear down on Asra. Asra felt another surge of magic from Thomas and channeled it into a shove, throwing Alain off of him. He’d barely gotten his footing back when Alain roared, discharging a wave of power around him. It drove the magicians to their knees, and Alain advanced on Asra again.

“Why is he so focused on you?!” Portia cried, as they stumbled to their feet.

Asra didn’t respond, focusing too hard on defending himself. He knew very well why Alain was focusing on him. Thomas was using him to channel the crystal’s magic through, but of Asra fell, he’d just switch magicians- if he was thinking right. But Alain knew of their connection. If one of them fell, the other would too in short order. Asra couldn’t let that happen.

Portia rushed at Alain, magic in her hands as she punched him. Alain barely acknowledged it, barely seemed to feel any of their attacks, focused solely on Asra. 

Asra fought desperately, alight with Thomas’s magic and his own. Alain swept his sword down at Asra, and Asra ducked out of the way, throwing his magic frantically. Ice ran up Alain’s legs and quickly encased his body, halting his movements. “We have to undo the enchantment,” he said, his voice thin and breathy from exertion.

Thomas nodded. “I’m working on it. Join your magic to mine, everyone.”

The group surrounded Thomas as the Arcana looked on. Thomas began to glow as the magicians poured their magic into Thomas, channeling it into the crystal. The crystal flowed as brightly as Thomas, and he directed the magic to the frozen figure. Asra felt the enchantment holding Alain together begin to unravel, and struggled to maintain his prison of ice while helping undo what the courtiers did to Alain.

It was too much for him. He could feel the ice cracking. “I can’t hold him,” he strained. “Hurry!”

Thomas inhaled, exhaled, and forced the magic to brighten, speeding along the dispel. Just as he was about to declare their job done, the ice holding Alain shattered and burst. Shards of ice flew at them, and they all ducked, throwing up their hands to protect their heads. Alain’s laughter echoed in the chamber, and Asra looked up in dread. They hadn’t reversed his transformation completely. Hopelessness flooded him. He was exhausted; that had taken everything out of him.

But he couldn’t give up, not now. With a frustrated sob, Asra refocused his magic to get his ice spear back, and lunged for Alain with a cry. Thomas’s magic flashed around him, and he thrust his spear at Alain’s chest, no longer caring if he killed him. He just had to end this before he killed all of them.

Blue fire engulfed the tip of Asra’s spear, and the thrust held true, piercing Alain’s hard carapace. Alain gave an inhuman shriek, and the fire engulfed Alain, burning away the courtiers’ enchantment. Alain dropped to his knees and laid still.

Asra stood over him, gasping for breath, for several moments. Alain groaned and his hand twitched towards his sword. Asra stomped on the hilt. “I don’t think so,” he spat, kicking the blade away.

Alain glared up at him, but laid still after that. Asra’s shoulders slumped and he looked around dully. His gaze swept the room and came to rest by the Arcana. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Thomas and the Magician kneeling on the floor next to the Fool, a large shard of ice protruding from the Fool’s chest. 


	19. Chapter 19

Asra ran to them, as the others surrounded Alain to keep him down. He summoned his magic to his hands, even though he was exhausted and at his limit. "We need to get that icicle out of him," Asra said, gripping it gingerly. 

"Don't... waste your time," the Fool gasped. "If I'm weakened enough that... that this actually hurt me, then..." He turned his gaze to Thomas. "You need to take my place," the Fool said softly.

"What? No!" Thomas exclaimed. 

"The realm needs an Arcana."

"And that's you! We're going to heal you, everything is going to be al-"

"It's not going to be alright. As powerful as you all are, you're human."

"Then how can you ask me to take your place?" Thomas challenged. "You said it yourself, I'm human! Humans don't have the ability to take on the role of the Arcana! Isn't that why we were fighting Alain so hard?"

"No," the Magician said softly. "A human _can_ take an Arcana's place. We don't have a choice, Thomas. Letting the Fool die without someone taking his place will wreak havoc on the worlds." Thomas shook his head, and the Magician smiled slightly. "You'll be able to see Asra and your friends whenever they like."

"I'm not- this isn't about that!" Thomas sobbed, as Briar crept closer. "We're not letting the Fool die! We're _not_! Asra, get the icicle out of him. I'll heal him with the crystal."

Asra grasped the icicle again, and the Fool grabbed his wrist. "This is futile!" the Fool hissed, clearly in pain. 

"If it's futile then you get to tell us that you told us so." Asra brushed the Fool's hand away from his and channeled his magic into the icicle, willing it to shrink into nothing. It was exhausting; every movement felt like agony, like he would pass out any second. He didn't let it dissuade him from his task, and the moment the icicle was gone, Thomas covered the wound with his hands. 

His magic flowed into the Fool, but it was in vain. The wound wouldn’t close. Thomas let out another frustrated sob, and Asra put a hand on his shoulder, pouring his magic into Thomas as he tried again. “You can’t do this,” Thomas whimpered. “I can’t do this without you. I don’t want to be an Arcana. Please, please...”

One by one, the other magicians came over to them, lending their strength. Asra looked up, frowning, an order for them to go back to guard Alain on his lips. It died there as his gaze fell on Alain, lying face-down on the floor, unmoving. “Is he dead?” Asra asked.

Salim shot a glance over his shoulder. “No, just unconscious. We’ll be alright doing this. We’ll hear him if he tries to get up.”

Asra nodded tiredly, wanting to tell them that someone needed to be monitoring Alain, but not wanting to spare him the attention. This was by far the more important thing.

Slowly, with all of them pouring their magic into the Fool, the wound began to close. The Magician wandered over to Alain as they worked, standing guard over him. With someone watching Alain now, Asra threw himself wholeheartedly into his task.

The Fool and Thomas began to glow with the same shifting, rainbow light as the wound closed. The Fool’s eyes cracked open, and he smiled. “Thank you,” he said, his voice stronger than before. Thomas helped him stand as the others backed away, and together they approached Alain and the Magician.

"Your plan has failed,” the Fool said stonily.

Alain lifted his head. Even defeated, he was defiant. “The realm needs an Arcana,” he repeated the Fool’s previous words. “You can’t give your body back to Thomas. The realm will just fall apart like it did before.”

“I will come back,” Thomas said, “just as we told you when you started this ridiculous crusade.”

“Why should I believe you? You didn’t come back until I forced you to.”

“I didn’t know then. I do now. I won’t let the realm fall apart, Alain.”

Alain closed his eyes, letting his head drop to the floor again. "If you're going to take me back, then do it," he said tiredly. "I'm sick of fighting."

Thomas looked up at everyone, then turned to the Fool, smiling. "Do I get my body back now?"

The Fool smiled back. "You do. Thank you for your assistance all these years. I wouldn't have been able to save my realm without you. Don't forget to return periodically to keep things running as they should."

"I won't." The Fool reached out a hand, and Thomas laid his hand against the Fool's, palms together. The Fool took a deep breath, and they both began to glow with that rainbow-colored light. The glow grew in intensity until they were both completely obscured by it, and Asra had to look away, shielding his eyes. But when the glow died, and Asra turned back to them, the Fool was gone, and Thomas stood in his place, his rainbow aura dimming to nothing. Thomas opened his eyes, holding out a hand to Asra. "Let's go home," he said, smiling. 

Asra took Thomas's hand without hesitation. "Yes, let's," he replied, pulling Thomas close and closing his eyes. He felt for his ties to the physical realm and followed them through the realms. 

He took a deep breath as his eyes slid open, looking up into Muriel's worried face. Muriel huffed in relief when Asra smiled at him. "It's over?"

"Yes. Thomas is back. We're bringing Alain back to answer for his crimes."

Nadia nodded, reaching out to pat Asra's hand. "I'm going to go look for them," she said, as the others began to wake from their trances as well. "I'll bring Thomas straight to you."

"Thanks, Nadi." Asra sat up as she left, careful not to bump into his parents as they began to move as well. He stood, leaning on Muriel a little, but getting his footing quickly. Instead of waiting for Nadia, Asra headed down the stairs, stopping just short of leaving the house to look for them himself.

There was a cheer from outside the building, and Thomas came in the door, looking exhausted, but grinning from ear to ear when his gaze fell on Asra. He stepped up to him, wrapping his arms around Asra's waist and kissing him. Asra returned his affections eagerly, and then drew back, Thomas's words before they arrived at the fortress echoing in his head. "I- uh- I guess we should talk, huh?"

"You sound like Julian."

"Bite your tongue. No, wait, don't do that." Asra kissed him again, grinning as Thomas grinned. 

Julian came down the stairs just then. "Why does he sound like me?" he asked curiously.

"He stuttered," Thomas replied, letting go of Asra to face Julian. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise." Julian grinned broadly. "Come, I want to have a look at you to make sure you're in good health."

Thomas rolled his eyes. "I'm in good health, Julian. I promise."

"I still want to check you out.” Thomas set him with a cynical look, and Julian threw up his hands. “Asra, help me out here.”

"Humor him, my love.” Thomas turned that cynical gaze to Asra, and Asra took his hands. “I’ll be with you the whole time. I’ll never leave you again. I swear it.”

Thomas sighed. “Alright, alright. Let’s get this over with.”

Julian rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Let’s go to the village’s infirmary. We’ll have some privacy there.”

Together, Asra and Thomas started walking, following Julian across the village. Asra snuck a look at Thomas, who glanced at him. “What is it?”

“I’m just... so relieved to have you back,” Asra replied. “I’m so relieved that this is over.”

Thomas nodded, smiling at him. “We still need to talk, but... I’m relieved to be back, too. I missed you, so much.”

Asra pulled Thomas to a stop and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, kissing him gently. Thomas returned the embrace and kiss, melting against him. Julian cleared his throat and they pulled away from each other, grinning sheepishly. “Coming, we’re coming,” Asra said, and the three started walking again.

* * *

"Guilty.”

The judge’s gavel rang out through the empty arena. No one but Thomas’s close friends and Briar had attended Alain’s trial; it was conducted without fanfare. Thomas covered his face with his hands, shoulders slumping in relief; two of the charges had been kidnapping and attempting to murder him, and he had been afraid that Alain wouldn’t be convicted on those. It had been too long ago, and he was insignificant.

Asra put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him against him. “It’s over,” he whispered, kissing Thomas’s temple. “He’s never getting out of prison. You don’t have to be afraid of him anymore.”

“What if he escapes?”

“He’s not going to escape,” Nadia said soothingly. “His friends are gone from this world forever, and without them, he’s just a man. We can control him.”

Thomas sighed, slumping against Asra. Asra stroked his hair, watching as Alain was led out of the arena in chains. "Hey, I have an idea," Asra said, once Alain was gone. "It's been a few weeks. How about we go to the Fool's realm to relax a bit? We both need the vacation after everything that happened, and testifying against Alain was hard on you."

"It wasn't. I just told the judge and Valerius what he did-"

"And reliving that was hard on you," Aisha said, putting a hand on his back. She glanced up at Asra, concern in her eyes. Asra had testified as well, as Nadia's lead investigator, and it hadn't been easy on either of them. "You both deserve some time off."

Thomas looked up at her, and then nodded. "You might be right. But I don't want to go back to the Fool's realm for a while. Not until I'm over what happened."

Briar was the one who spoke next. “You might never be over what happened, sweetheart.”

“That’s- that’s a distinct possibility. I know. And I know I have to go back eventually. I promised. But still, I...”

Asra pulled Thomas against him again. “That’s okay, we don’t have to go to the magical realms if you don’t want to. We were planning to go to Drakr before all this happened, weren’t we? Maybe we could go there.”

“Drakr is beautiful,” Julian said. “I think you’d enjoy it there, Thomas.”

“A-Alright. We can go to Drakr.” Thomas smiled at Asra, who smiled back uneasily. Thomas had changed. They both had. Asra knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they’d get through it. They’d talked, and established that they were both very much still in love. But that didn’t stop Asra from hesitating to continue their relationship as it had been before. Asra was traumatized. He could only imagine the damage Alain had done to Thomas if he’d hurt Asra so badly in only a few days. He couldn’t help but feel like Thomas didn’t need a lover right now.

But Thomas had said none of that to Asra, and Asra trusted him to speak up if Asra crossed any lines. And so he said, “Alright. Let’s go get ready. We can leave tomorrow if you-“

“Now.”

“I- what?”

“I want to leave now.”

Asra hesitated, looking up at his friends. No one said anything. “Alright, we’ll go get ready and leave now. I’m not sure how far we’ll get this late in the day, but-“

“I’m sorry, I just want to be away from the city right now.”

“That’s fine. I guess we’ll take our leave now.” Asra smiled at everyone as they stood. “We’ll see you all when we get back.”

“Safe travels,” Salim said, looking uneasy. “We’ll be waiting.”

The others said their goodbyes and Asra and Thomas left the coliseum, holding hands. The moment they were outside, Thomas started talking animatedly, clearly excited for their trip. As Thomas chattered on, Asra relaxed. Maybe this was what Thomas needed.

Maybe everything would be alright after all. 


End file.
